title: MALDI-MS-assisted molecular imaging of metabolites in legume plants.
abstract: Mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) is a powerful analytical tool that provides spatial information of several compounds in a single experiment. This technique has been used extensively to study proteins, peptides, and lipids, and is becoming more common for studying small molecules such as endogenous metabolites. With matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-MSI, spatial distributions of multiple metabolites can be simultaneously detected within a biological tissue section. Herein, we present a method developed specifically for imaging metabolites in legume plant roots and root nodules which can be adapted for studying metabolites in other legume organs and even other biological tissue samples. We focus on essential steps such as sample preparation and matrix application, comparing several useful techniques, and present a standard workflow that can be easily modified for different tissue types and instrumentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 5232 Rennebohm Hall, 777 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, 53705-2222, USA.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gemperline
authors.forename: Lingjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D007887:Fabaceae / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*