Using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microprobes in the study of metal homeostasis in plants

Abstract

SXRF is one of the few techniques capable of providing spatially resolved in-vivo metal abundance data on a sub-micrometre scale, without the need for chemical fixation, coating, drying or even sectioning of samples. This gives researchers the ability to uncover mechanisms of plant metal homeostasis that can potentially be obscured by the artefacts of sample preparation. Further, new generation synchrotrons with smaller beam sizes and more sensitive detection systems will allow for the imaging of metal distribution within single living plant cells. Even greater advances in our understanding of metal homeostasis in plants can be gained by overcoming some of the practical boundaries that exist in the use of SXRF analysis.

Mechanical properties of Callitriche cophocarpa leaves under Cr(VI)/Cr(III) influence

“…Therefore, during the AFM measurements, the ''liquid cell'' setup was used, which enabled the conduction of experiments on the leaf samples submersed in the incubation medium. In turn, lXRF is the technique that allows the analysis of element concentration at a very low level (Punshon et al 2009), typical for the single leaf. In order to determine the amount of elements in tissue, we measured the X-ray intensity (cps/ lm 2 ) of the Cr and Ca signal since the intensity of the fluorescence signal of the particular element is proportional to the element content.…”

CAX‐ing a wide net: Cation/H+ transporters in metal remediation and abiotic stress signalling

“…The use of preparation‐free elemental imaging technologies such as SXRF microscopy is beginning to allow researchers to understand the relationship between CAX expression and nutrient bioavailability or metal partitioning (Punshon et al . 2009; Yang et al . 2012).…”

Metal and metalloid speciation in plants: Overview, instrumentation, approaches and commonly assessed elements

“…Natural sources of these elements in plants include that arising from soil microbial activity or the weathering of geological formations, as was investigated by Eiche et al [18], who evaluated the speciation of Se in edible crops growing in seleniferous soils in India (Table 1). Such studies of metal speciation and metal homeostasis in plant crops can also be used in the biological engineering, otherwise known as biofortification, of food crops to increase the uptake of beneficial metals by plants into key plant components [22]. Metals can also occur in the environment as a result of anthropogenic activities, and biomonitoring studies are often undertaken to assess the risks associated with such exposures.…”