Phytochemical map leads to local omics world

Abstract

Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is an analytical method for visualizing the localization of metabolites. IMS analysis involves performing spatial mass spectrometry in coordinates specified on cross-section or longitudinal section of organisms, including plants. The localization of detected metabolites can be visualized using the m/z value and signal intensity acquired in IMS analysis. The development of genome or transcriptome sequencing technologies enables us to perform extremely local part analyses at the level of the cells, tissues, or organs. Using the sequencing technologies, phytochemical genomics researches have shown that specialized metabolic pathways have associations between gene expression and metabolite accumulation in a tissue- or organ-specific manner. These findings suggest that the identification of specialized metabolites in the local parts through IMS analysis makes narrowing down biosynthetic genes more simplified. The IMS analysis is potentially capable of increasing the efficiency and accuracy in phytochemical genomics. Herein, I provide recent updates on IMS analysis in plants.