title: More than Pictures: When MS Imaging Meets Histology.
abstract: Attaining high-resolution spatial information is a recurrent challenge in biological research, particularly in the case of small-molecule distribution. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is an innovative molecular histology technique that could provide such information. It allows in situ and label-free measurement of both the abundance and distribution of a variety of molecules at the tissue or single cell level. The application of MSI in plant research has received considerable attention; thus, in this review, we describe the current state of MSI in plants. In particular, we present an overview of MSI approaches, highlight the recent technical and methodological developments, and discuss a range of applications contributing to the field of plant science.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 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. Electronic address: asaph.aharoni@weizmann.ac.il.
authors.forename: Asaph
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aharoni
mesh_terms: D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
keywords: MALDI; mass spectrometry imaging; molecular histology; plant metabolites; spatial resolution