Capturing in Vivo Plant Metabolism by Real-Time Analysis of Low to High Molecular Weight Volatiles

• Published in: Analytical chemistry (Washington) 2016-02, Vol.88 (4), p.2406-2412
• Main Authors: Barrios-Collado, César, García-Gómez, Diego, Zenobi, Renato, Vidal-de-Miguel, Guillermo, Ibáñez, Alfredo J, Martinez-Lozano Sinues, Pablo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Analyzers; Begonia; Begoniaceae - chemistry; Begoniaceae - metabolism; Chromatography; Complement; Emission analysis; Emissions; In vivo methods and tests; Ionization; Light; Mass spectrometry; Molecular Weight; Photosynthesis; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization - instrumentation; Time Factors; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - analysis; Volatile Organic Compounds - metabolism
• ISSN: 0003-2700; 1520-6882
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b04452

We have deployed an efficient secondary electrospray ionization source coupled to an Orbitrap mass analyzer (SESI-MS) to investigate the emissions of a Begonia semperflorens. We document how hundreds of species can be tracked with an unparalleled time resolution of 2 min during day–night cycles. To further illustrate the capabilities of this system for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analysis, we subjected the plant to mechanical damage and monitored its response. As a result, ∼1200 VOCs were monitored displaying different kinetics. To validate the soundness of our in vivo measurements, we fully characterized some key compounds via tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and confirmed their expected behavior based on prior gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) studies. For example, β-caryophyllene, which is directly related to photosynthesis, was found to show a periodic day–night pattern with highest concentrations during the day. We conclude that the capability of SESI-MS to capture highly dynamic VOC emissions and wide analyte coverage makes it an attractive tool to complement GC/MS in plant studies.