Abstract
The metabolome is largely uncharted territory. Only a small percentage of the small molecules in the biosphere have been identified and characterized, and of these, analytical standards are available for only a very limited number. Since the phenotype of an organism is the best equilibrium that it is able to attain with its environment given its genotype, to understand the change in phenotype resulting from a change in genotype or environment the comprehensive analysis of metabolites is essential. Examples of how comprehensive metabolomics enabled us to better understand cold acclimation in Arabidopsis, the anti-oxidant properties of different Huang-qin genotypes, and the effects of a GDH insertion in tobacco will be presented. As well, the analytical and bioinformatics challenges associated with this approach to understanding plant physiology will be discussed.
