Spatial Distribution of Polyphenolic Compounds in Corn Grains (<i>Zea mays</i> L. var. <i>Pioneer</i>) Studied by Laser Confocal Microscopy and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry
Mayya Razgonova,
Yulia Zinchenko,
Konstantin Pikula,
Lyudmila Tekutyeva,
Oksana Son,
Alexander Zakharenko,
Tatiana Kalenik,
Kirill Golokhvast
Affiliations
Mayya Razgonova
Institute of Life Science and Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, 10 Ajax Bay, Russky Island, 690922 Vladivostok, Russia
Yulia Zinchenko
N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, B. Morskaya 42-44, 190000 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Konstantin Pikula
Polytechnical Institute, Far Eastern Federal University, 10 Ajax Bay, Russky Island, 690922 Vladivostok, Russia
Lyudmila Tekutyeva
Institute of Life Science and Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, 10 Ajax Bay, Russky Island, 690922 Vladivostok, Russia
Oksana Son
Institute of Life Science and Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, 10 Ajax Bay, Russky Island, 690922 Vladivostok, Russia
Alexander Zakharenko
Siberian Federal Scientific Centre of Agrobiotechnology, Centralnaya, Presidium, 633501 Krasnoobsk, Russia
Tatiana Kalenik
Institute of Life Science and Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, 10 Ajax Bay, Russky Island, 690922 Vladivostok, Russia
Kirill Golokhvast
Polytechnical Institute, Far Eastern Federal University, 10 Ajax Bay, Russky Island, 690922 Vladivostok, Russia
Desirable changes in the biochemical composition of food plants is a key outcome of breeding strategies. The subsequent localization of nutritional phytochemicals in plant tissues gives important information regarding the extent of their synthesis across a tissue. We performed a detailed metabolomic analysis of phytochemical substances of grains from Zea mays L. (var. Pioneer) by tandem mass spectrometry and localization by confocal microscopy. We found that anthocyanins are located mainly in the aleurone layer of the grain. High-performance liquid chromatography in combination with ion trap tandem mass spectrometry revealed the presence of 56 compounds, including 30 polyphenols. This method allows for effective and rapid analysis of anthocyanins by plotting their distribution in seeds and grains of different plants. This approach will permit a more efficient screening of phenotypic varieties during food plant breeding.
