title: Sample Preparation for Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Plant Tissues: A Review.
abstract: Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a mass spectrometry based molecular ion imaging technique. It provides the means for ascertaining the spatial distribution of a large variety of analytes directly on tissue sample surfaces without any labeling or staining agents. These advantages make it an attractive molecular histology tool in medical, pharmaceutical, and biological research. Likewise, MSI has started gaining popularity in plant sciences; yet, information regarding sample preparation methods for plant tissues is still limited. Sample preparation is a crucial step that is directly associated with the quality and authenticity of the imaging results, it therefore demands in-depth studies based on the characteristics of plant samples. In this review, a sample preparation pipeline is discussed in detail and illustrated through selected practical examples. In particular, special concerns regarding sample preparation for plant imaging are critically evaluated. Finally, the applications of MSI techniques in plants are reviewed according to different classes of plant metabolites.
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Data Management, Research and Innovation Centre - Fondazione Edmund MachS. Michele all'Adige, Italy; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of ScienceRehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Yonghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malitsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Ilana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rogachev
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Asaph
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aharoni
authors.affiliation: Research Group Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaftan
authors.affiliation: Research Group Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Aleš
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Svatoš
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Data Management, Research and Innovation Centre - Fondazione Edmund Mach S. Michele all'Adige, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franceschi
keywords: DESI; MALDI; SIMS; mass spectrometry imaging; molecular histology; plant metabolites