Imaging MS Analysis in Catharanthus roseus

Abstract

To understand how the plant regulates metabolism, it is important to determine where metabolites localize in the tissues and cells. Single-cell level omics approaches in plants have shown remarkable development over the last several years, and this data has been instrumental in gene discovery efforts for enzymes and transporters involved in metabolism. For metabolomics, Imaging Mass Spectrometry (IMS) is a powerful tool to map the spatial distribution of molecules in the tissue. Here, we describe the methods which we used to reveal where secondary metabolites, primarily alkaloids, localize in Catharanthus roseus stem and leaf tissues.

Keywords: Alkaloid; Apocynaceae; Catharanthus roseus; Idioblast cell; Imaging MS; Laticifer cell; Single-cell metabolomics; Specialized metabolism.