Metabolic imaging in living plants: A promising field for chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI.
Simon MayerHardy RolletschekVolodymyr RadchukSteffen WagnerStefan OrtlebAndré GündelKlaus J DehmerFabian T GutjahrPeter M JakobLjudmilla BorisjukPublished in: Science advances (2024)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a versatile technique in the biomedical field, but its application to the study of plant metabolism in vivo remains challenging because of magnetic susceptibility problems. In this study, we report the establishment of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) for plant MRI. This method enables noninvasive access to the metabolism of sugars and amino acids in complex sink organs (seeds, fruits, taproots, and tubers) of major crops (maize, barley, pea, potato, sugar beet, and sugarcane). Because of its high signal detection sensitivity and low susceptibility to magnetic field inhomogeneities, CEST analyzes heterogeneous botanical samples inaccessible to conventional magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The approach provides unprecedented insight into the dynamics and distribution of sugars and amino acids in intact, living plant tissue. The method is validated by chemical shift imaging, infrared microscopy, chromatography, and mass spectrometry. CEST is a versatile and promising tool for studying plant metabolism in vivo, with many applications in plant science and crop improvement.
Keyphrases
- magnetic resonance imaging
- mass spectrometry
- high resolution
- contrast enhanced
- amino acid
- diffusion weighted imaging
- cell wall
- mental health
- high speed
- public health
- climate change
- magnetic resonance
- single molecule
- photodynamic therapy
- gas chromatography
- tandem mass spectrometry
- molecularly imprinted
- capillary electrophoresis
- sensitive detection
- plant growth
- electron transfer