Preparation of Hard Palm Seeds for Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Imaging Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Summary

This protocol aimed to describe detailed guidance on the preparation of hard seed sample sections with low water content for MALDI-IMS analysis, maintaining analytes' original distribution and abundance and providing high-quality signal and spatial resolution.

Abstract

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) is applied to identify compounds in their native environments. Currently, MALDI-IMS is frequently used in clinical analysis. Still, an excellent perspective exists for better applying this technique to understand chemical compounds' physiological information in plant tissues. However, preparation may be challenging for specific samples from botanical materials, as MALDI-IMS requires thin slices (12-20 µm) for appropriate data acquisition and successful analysis. In this sense, previously, we developed a sample preparation protocol to obtain thin sections of Euterpe oleracea (açaí palm) hard seeds, enabling their molecular mapping by MALDI-IMS.

Here, we show that the developed protocol is suitable for preparing other seeds from the same genus. Briefly, the protocol was based on submerging the seeds in deionized water for 24 h, embedding samples with gelatin, and sectioning them in an acclimatized cryostat. Then, for matrix deposition, an xy motion platform was coupled to an electrospray ionization (ESI) needle spray using a 1:1 (v/v) 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) and methanol solution with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid at 30 mg/mL. E. precatoria and E. edulis seed data were processed using software to map their metabolite patterns.

Hexose oligomers were mapped within sample slices to prove the adequacy of the protocol for those samples, as it is known that those seeds contain large amounts of mannan, a polymer of the hexose mannose. As a result, peaks of hexose oligomers, represented by [M + K]⁺ adducts of (Δ = 162 Da), were identified. Thus, the sample preparation protocol, previously developed tailor-made for E. oleracea seeds, also enabled MALDI-IMS analysis of two other hard palm seeds. In short, the method could constitute a valuable tool for research in the morpho-anatomy and physiology of botanical materials, especially from cut-resistant samples.

Introduction

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) is a powerful method that allows two-dimensional biomolecule assignment, provides untargeted investigation of ionizable compounds, and determines their spatial distribution, especially in biological samples^1,2. For two decades, this technique has enabled the simultaneous detection and identification of lipids, peptides, carbohydrates, proteins, other metabolites, and synthetic molecules such as therapeutic drugs^3,4. MALDI-IMS facilitates chemical analysis in a tissue samp....

Protocol

Euterpe precatoria seeds were kindly donated by the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (Manaus, Brazil), and Euterpe edulis seeds were kindly donated by the Silo - Arte e Latitude Rural (Resende, Brazil) after the industrial depulping process. The seeds were maintained in sealed plastic boxes at room temperature.

1. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-imaging mass spectroscopy (MALDI-IMS)

1. Seed sectioning protocol
   1. .......

Discussion

Plants are composed of specialized tissues for specific biochemical functions. Therefore, the sample preparation protocol for MALDI-IMS must be designed according to various plant tissues with specific physicochemical properties, as samples must maintain their original analyte distribution and abundance for high-quality signal and spatial resolution⁸.

Prior to MALDI-IMS analysis, the primary consideration is collecting and storing samples properly. However, in plants, s.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
1 mL Gastight Syringe Model 1001 TLL, PTFE Luer Lock	Hamilton Company	81320
2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid	Sigma Aldrich Co, MO, USA	149357
APCI needle	Bruker Daltonik, Bremen, Germany	602193
AxiDraw V3 xy motion platform	Evil Mad Scientist, CA, USA	2510
Carbon double-sided conductive tape
Compass Data Analysis software			creation of mass list
Compressed air
copper double-faced adhesive tape	3M, USA	1182-3/4"X18YD
Cryostat CM 1860 UV	Leica  Biosystems, Nussloch, Germany
Diamond Wafering Blade 15 HC
Everhart-Thornley detector
FlexImaging	Bruker Daltonik, Bremen, Germany		image acquisition
FTMS Processing	Bruker Daltonik, Bremen, Germany		data calibration
Gelatin from bovine skin	Sigma Aldrich Co, MO, USA	G9391
High Profile Microtome Blades Leica 818	Leica  Biosystems, Nussloch, Germany	0358 38926
indium tin oxide coated glass slide	Bruker Daltonik, Bremen, Germany	8237001
Inkscape	Inkscape Project c/o Software Freedom Conservancy, NY, USA
IsoMet 1000 precision cutter	Buehler, Illinois, USA
Methanol	J.T.Baker	9093-03
Mili-Q water			18.2 MΩ.cm
Oil vacuum pump
Optimal Cutting Temperature Compound	Fisher HealthCare, Texas, USA	4585
Parafilm "M" Sealing Film	Amcor	HS234526B
Quanta 450 FEG	FEI Co, Hillsboro, OR, USA
SCiLS Lab (Multi-vendor support) MS Software	Bruker Daltonik, Bremen, Germany
Software INCA Suite 4.14 V	Oxford Instruments, Ableton, UK
Solarix 7T	Bruker Daltonik, Bremen, Germany
Syringe pump	kdScientific, MA, USA	78-9100K
Trifluoroacetic acid	Sigma Aldrich Co, MO, USA	302031
X-Max spectrometer	Oxford Instruments, Ableton, UK