Screening and Identification of Potential Abscisic Acid Catabolites by Chemical Labeling-Assisted Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

In this study, a screening strategy was established based on ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry assisted by chemical isotope labeling (CIL-UPLC-HRMS) for screening and identifying abscisic acid (ABA) catabolites. Based on the structures of known ABA catabolites, this strategy first proposed the structures of catabolites to be discovered. Afterward, a pair of isotope reagents N,N-2-dimethylaminoethylamine (DMED) and d4-DMED were used as labeling reagents to label the carboxyl groups in ABA and its catabolites. Then, the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of DMED- and d4-DMED-labeled ABA catabolites was calculated based on the labeling schema. In light of the characteristic fragmentation patterns of the DMED-labeled standards of ABA and its catabolites, screening criteria were formulated. Using our strategy, ABA, t-ABA, and 18 ABA catabolites were identified from seven plant samples. Of the identified catabolites, 16 were known, and to our knowledge, 2 were previously unidentified. Our findings contribute to ABA catabolic network improvement.

Neophaseic acid catabolism in the 9'-hydroxylation pathway of abscisic acid in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Abscisic acid (ABA) hydroxylation is an important pathway for ABA inactivation and homeostasis maintenance. Here, we discover a new downstream catabolite of neophaseic acid (neoPA) in the ABA 9'-hydroxyl pathway and identify it as epi-neodihydrophaseic acid (epi-neoDPA) by comparing its accurate mass, retention time, and MSn spectra with those of our chemically synthesized epi-neoDPA. Analyses of Arabidopsis seed germination and ABA-related gene expression reveal that neoPA rather than epi-neoDPA possesses ABA-like hormonal activity. In vitro enzyme activity tests of prokaryotic recombinant protein reveal that NeoPAR1 (neoPA reductase 1) identified from Arabidopsis converts neoPA into epi-neoDPA. Site-directed mutation at Tyr163 in the conserved motif of NeoPAR1 abolishes the catalytic activity of NeoPAR1. Accelerated seed germination was observed in NeoPAR1 knockdown and knockout mutants, whereas retarded seed germination and the accumulation of epi-neoDPA and ABA were observed in NeoPAR1 overexpression lines, suggesting that NeoPAR1 is involved in seed germination and maintenance of ABA homeostasis.

Highly sensitive analysis of cyanogenic glycosides in cold-pressed flaxseed oil by employing cigarette filter fiber-based SPE coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

In this study, a highly sensitive method for analysis of 4 cyanogenic glycosides (CNGs) in cold-pressed flaxseed oil was developed by using cigarette filter fiber-based SPE and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The cold-pressed flaxseed oil was diluted with 5% (v/v) isopropanol/n-hexane solution and loaded to a cigarette filters fiber-based SPE column for CNG enrichment and purification. Under optimized conditions, four CNGs could be detected with limits of detection ranging from 1.3 to 4.4 pg/mL. The linear range was 0.05-50 ng/ml with a linear correlation coefficient (r) > 0.9935. CNG recovery ranged from 113% to 133%, and the relative standard deviation was between 0.8% and 20.5%. Finally, the proposed method was applied to the determination of CNGs in nine cold-pressed flaxseed oils.

Sensitive analysis of trehalose-6-phosphate and related sugar phosphates in plant tissues by chemical derivatization combined with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) is an important signaling metabolite that is involved in many physiological processes. However, the mechanism of the biological functions of T6P is not fully understood. Quantification of T6P in plants will be beneficial to elucidate the mechanism. However, it is still a challenge to chromatographically separate and sensitively detect T6P and related sugar phosphates. In the current study, we developed a method for effective separation and sensitive detection of glucose-1-phosphate (G1P), glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), sucrose-6-phosphate (S6P) and T6P in plant tissues by chemical derivatization combined with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ChD-HILIC-MS/MS). With this method, two pairs of isomers (G1P/G6P and S6P/T6P) could be well separated on a HILIC column and sensitively detected by MS with limits of detection (LODs) ranging from 0.1 to 0.6 ng mL-1. The developed method was successfully applied to the detection of endogenous G1P, G6P, S6P and T6P in small amounts of plant tissues, such as 1 mg fresh weight of Oryza sativa shoot.

Simultaneous Determination of Abscisic Acid and Its Catabolites by Hydrophilic Solid-Phase Extraction Combined with Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

An efficient and selective pretreatment method of one-step hydrophilic interaction chromatography-based solid phase extraction (HILIC SPE) was developed using silica as the sorbent to quickly and sensitively detect endogenous ABA and its five catabolites in fresh Oryza sativa tissues. The extracted analytes were sensitively quantified with ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Under the optimized conditions, good linearity of the developed analytical method was obtained in the range of 0.2-1000 ng/mL with linear correlation coefficients ( r) greater than 0.9987. The limits of detection (LODs, signal/noise = 3) ranged from 0.01 to 0.74 ng/mL. The relative recoveries were between 83.3% and 112.0% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 0.5 to 15.0%. Using the proposed method, the concentration variations of ABA and its catabolites were monitored in the salt-stressed rice tissues.

Sensitive determination of brassinosteroids by solid phase boronate affinity labeling coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are regarded as the sixth plant hormone that is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Sensitive quantification of BRs will be greatly benefit to illuminate the detail mechanisms about how BRs play crucial role in plant developmental processes such as cell division, cell expansion, cytodifferentiation, seed germination, vegetative growth and resisting biological or abiotic stress. In the current study, we developed a method for rapid and sensitive determination of endogenous BRs in plant tissues by combining LC-MS and a novel sample preparation strategy, in which the plant tissue extract was supplied to solid phase boronate affinity labeling and extraction, followed by desorption and salt-induced phase transition extraction for further purification. Under the optimized conditions, good linearity was obtained for 6 BR with correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.9988 to 0.9999. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) ranged from 1.4 to 2.8 pg mL-1. The recoveries were between 93.4% and 116.2% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 2.8% to 15.8%. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to the analysis of 6 endogenous BR in various plant tissues including 20 mg FW Oryza sativa shoot, 10 mg FW Oryza sativa root, 20 mg FW Arabidopsis thaliana shoot, 4 Arabidopsis thaliana flowers (2.8 mg) and one Brassica napus stamen (3.0 mg) with concentration ranging from 0.26 to 157.28 ng g-1 FW.

Improved methodology for analysis of multiple phytohormones using sequential magnetic solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Phytohormones are special small molecules that play important role in plant growth and development at trace levels. Quantification of multiple phytohormones will be great helpful for researches about cross-talks that plant hormones regulate the responses of plants against both biotic and abiotic stresses by means of synergistic or antagonistic interactions. In the current study, we developed a method for profiling of phytohormones in one small sample, including indole-3-acetic acid, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, gibberellins, cytokinins and brassinosteroids. These phytohormones mentioned above were firstly purified and separated by sequential magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) and then analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Under the optimized extraction conditions, good linearity was obtained with correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.9961 to 0.9998. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) were ranged from 0.45 to 126.1 pg mL-1. The recoveries were between 85.0% and 116.2%. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were ranged from 2.7% to 16.1%. With the proposed strategy, 23 phytohormones could be purified and analyzed from a single plant extract. Finally, 16 phytohormones could be detected in 100 mg (fresh weight) flower of Brassica napus L., including IAA, ABA, JA, 4 GAs, 3 BRs and 6 CKs with the concentration ranged from 0.09 to 305.23 ng g-1.

A rapid approach to investigate spatiotemporal distribution of phytohormones in rice.

BACKGROUND: Phytohormones play crucial roles in almost all stages of plant growth and development. Accurate and simultaneous determination of multiple phytohormones enabled us to better understand the physiological functions and the regulatory networks of phytohormones. However, simultaneous determination of multiple phytohormones in plant is still a challenge due to their low concentrations, structural and chemical diversity, and complex matrix of plant tissues. Therefore, development of a simple and selective method for the simultaneous determination of multiple phytohormones is highly needed. RESULTS: We developed a clean-up strategy for profiling of multiple phytohormones, which can overcome the challenge of structural and chemical diversity. By using a one-step dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) combined with UPLC-MS/MS, 54 phytohormones including auxins, ABA, SA, JA, GAs and CKs were simultaneously analyzed from a single rice sample extract. Using the developed method, we investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of phytohormones in rice. The profiling of various tissues of rice at different growth stages revealed the complexity of metabolic regulation and allocations of phytohormone species. CONCLUSION: A rapid one-step method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of six groups of phytohormones, including cytokinins, auxins, salicylic acid, jasmonates, abscisic acid and gibberellins in a single run, using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The proposed method was successfully applied to investigate spatiotemporal distribution of multiple phytohormones in rice. The spatiotemporal information obtained may be helpful for better understanding of phytohormones functions throughout life cycle of rice when integrated into transcriptome and other omics data.

Sequential solvent induced phase transition extraction for profiling of endogenous phytohormones in plants by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

In the current study, a novel method for high-throughput and sensitive determination of 12 phytohormones in plants was developed by using sequential solvent induced phase transition extraction (SIPTE) coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). In sequential SIPTE, 0.1% formic acid (v/v) and 50mM NaHCO3 aqueous solution were used for enrichment and purification of alkaline and acidic phytohormones from the acetonitrile extract of plant tissues in sequence, in which hydrophobic solvent (toluene) was added to the acetonitrile aqueous mixture for driving the phase separation. Under optimized sequential SIPTE conditions, the phytohormones in acetonitrile extract of plant tissues could be effectively enriched and purified, which was in favor of the following UPLC-MS/MS analysis with less matrix effect. The phytohormones could be detected using the developed sequential SIPTE-UPLC-MS/MS method with the limits of the detection (LODs) ranging from 0.56 to 438.60pgmL(-1) and linear range over 2 orders of magnitude with correlation coefficients (r)>0.9970. The relative recoveries of the detected phytohormones were in the range of 85.1-114.6%. Finally, the proposed method was applied to simultaneous determination of endogenous phytohormones in different tissues of model plants (Oryza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana) with small amount of sample size (5mg, fresh weight). The proposed method may be suitable for studying the distribution of phytohormones in model plants.

Profiling of phytohormones in rice under elevated cadmium concentration levels by magnetic solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Phytohormones, a collection of signal small molecules with various structures, regulate a series of physiological processes of plants. For instance, they regulate the growth and development, response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Quantification of trace endogenous phytohormones is essential to elucidate their molecular mechanisms in response to stresses. However, the structural and chemical diversity of phytohormones make it difficult to purify and enrich multiple phytohormones in one-step. In the current study, a method was developed to comprehensively profile phytohormones, including 8 cytokinins (CKs), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA) and 10 gibberellins (GAs) by Fe3O4@TiO2-based magnetic solid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (Fe3O4@TiO2-based MSPE-UPLC-MS/MS). In the proposed method, the phytohormones in the acetonitrile extract of plant tissues were captured and purified by one-step MSPE using Fe3O4@TiO2 as a sorbent prior to UPLC-MS/MS analysis. The sensitivity, accuracy and reproducibility of the proposed analytical method were demonstrated to satisfy the profiling of multiple phytohormones in plant tissue. We then further used the Fe3O4@TiO2-based MSPE-UPLC-MS/MS method to explore the change of phytohormones in rice under Cd stress. The results showed that CKs, IAA, ABA, JA and biological active GAs all increased under Cd stress, suggesting that these phytohormones may take part in response to Cd stress. The study may promote the further understanding of the physiological functions of phytohormones in response to Cd stress.

Magnetic graphene as modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe adsorbent for the determination of organochlorine pesticide residues in tobacco.

In this study, magnetic graphene was used as modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) adsorbent for the determination of organochlorine pesticide (OCPs) residues in tobacco. To achieve the optimum conditions of modified QuEChERS procedure toward target analytes, several parameters affecting the clean-up efficiency including the amount of the adsorbent and clean-up time were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, a method for the determination of 26 OCPs residues in tobacco was established by coupling the modified QuEChERS procedure to on-line gel permeation chromatography-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (on-line GPC-GC-MS(2)). The limits of detection of proposed method for 26 OCPs residues ranged from 0.01275 to 3.150ng/g. And good linearities of the proposed method were obtained with coefficients of determination (R(2)) greater than 0.9985 for all target analytes. Good reproducibility of method was obtained as intra- and inter-day precisions, the relative standard deviations were less than 11.1 and 15.0%, respectively. The apparent recoveries were in the range of 64-126% at different concentrations for real samples. Compared with the reported methods for the determination of OCPs residues in tobacco, the proposed method has the advantages of simple to operate, low cost and high clean-up ability. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the analysis of OCPs residues in real samples.

In-syringe dispersive solid phase extraction: a novel format for electrospun fiber based microextraction.

A novel in-syringe dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE) system using electrospun silica fibers as adsorbents has been developed in the current work. A few milligrams of electrospun silica fibers were incubated in sample solution in the barrel of a syringe for microextraction assisted by vortex. Due to the benefit of dispersion and the high mass transfer rate of the sub-microscale electrospun silica fibers, the extraction equilibrium was achieved in a very short time (less than 1 min). Moreover, thanks to the long fibrous properties of electrospun fibers, the separation of the adsorbent from sample solution was easily achieved by pushing out the sample solution which therefore simplified the sample pretreatment procedure. Besides, the analytical throughput was largely increased by using a multi-syringe plate to perform the extraction experiment. The performance of the in-syringe dSPE device was evaluated by extraction of endogenous cytokinins from plant tissue samples based on the hydrophilic interaction. Six endogenous cytokinins in 20 mg of Oryza sativa L. (O. sativa) leaves were successfully determined under optimized conditions using in-syringe dSPE combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The results demonstrated that the in-syringe dSPE method was a rapid and high-throughput strategy for the extraction of target compounds, which has great potential in microscale sample pretreatment using electrospun fibers.

Rapid and high-throughput determination of endogenous cytokinins in Oryza sativa by bare Fe3O4 nanoparticles-based magnetic solid-phase extraction.

A rapid method was developed for determination of endogenous cytokinins (CKs) based on magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). We illustrated the hydrophilic character of bare Fe3O4 nanoparticles that were directly used as a MSPE sorbent for rapid enrichment of endogenous CKs from complex plant extract. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bare Fe3O4 directly used as efficient extraction sorbent to enrich target CKs based on hydrophilic interaction. Under the optimized conditions, a rapid, sensitive and high-throughput method for the determination of 16 CKs was established by combination of MSPE with UPLC-MS/MS. Good linearity was obtained with correlation coefficients (r) from 0.9902 to 0.9998. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) ranged from 1.2 pg mL(-1) to 391.3 pg mL(-1) and 4.1 pg mL(-1) to 1304.3 pg mL(-1), respectively. 16 CKs could be successfully determined in spiked sample with 80.6-117.3% recoveries and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 16.6%. Finally, 10 endogenous CKs were successfully quantified in 50mg Oryza sativa sample using the developed MSPE-UPLC-MS/MS method.

A simple sample preparation approach based on hydrophilic solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for determination of endogenous cytokinins.

Cytokinins (CKs), a vital family of phytohormones, play important roles in the regulation of shoot and root development. However, the quantification of CKs in plant samples is frequently affected by the complex plant matrix. In the current study, we developed a simple, rapid and efficient hydrophilic interaction chromatography-solid phase extraction (HILIC-SPE) method for CKs purification. CKs were extracted by acetonitrile (ACN) followed by HILIC-SPE (silica as sorbents) purification. The extraction solution of plant samples could be directly applied to HILIC-SPE without solvent evaporation step, which simplified the analysis process. Moreover, with HILIC chromatographic retention mechanism, the hydrophobic co-extracted impurities were efficiently removed. Subsequently, CKs were separated by RPLC, orthogonal to the HILIC pretreatment process, and detected by tandem mass spectrometry. The method exhibits high specificity and recovery yield (>77.0%). Good linearities were obtained for all eight CKs ranging from 0.002 to 100ngmL(-1) with correlation coefficients (r) higher than 0.9927. The limits of detection (LODs, signal/noise=5) for the CKs were between 1.0 and 12.4pgmL(-1). Reproducibility of the method was evaluated by intra-day and inter-day measurements and the results showed that relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 10.5%. Employing this method, we successfully quantified six CKs in 20mg Oryza sativa leaves and the method was also successfully applied to Brassica napus (flower and leaves).

Rapid determination of endogenous cytokinins in plant samples by combination of magnetic solid phase extraction with hydrophilic interaction chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (Fe3O4/SiO2/P(AMPS-co-EGDMA)) copolymer was prepared and used as a magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) medium for recovery of endogenous cytokinins (CKs) from plant extracts. This magnetic porous polymer was characterized by electron microscopy, nitrogen sorption experiments, elemental analysis and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy. It was demonstrated to have high extraction capacity toward CKs in plants due to its specificity, surface area and porous structure. Coupled with hydrophilic interaction chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS), a rapid, simple, and effective MSPE-HILIC-MS/MS analytical method for the quantitative analysis of endogenous CKs in Oryza sativa (O. sativa) roots was successfully established. Good linearities were obtained for all CKs investigated with correlation coefficients (R²>0.9975. The results showed that LODs (S/N=3) were ranged from 0.18 to 3.65 pg mL⁻¹. Reproducibility of the method was obtained with intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 16.1% and the recoveries in plant samples ranged from 72.8% to 115.5%. Finally, the MSPE-HILIC-MS/MS method was applied to several plant samples, and the amounts of endogenous CKs in O. sativa roots, leaves and Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) were successfully determined.