Establishment of a GC-MS-based C-13-positional isotopomer approach suitable for investigating metabolic fluxes in plant primary metabolism

C-13-Metabolic flux analysis (C-13-MFA) has greatly contributed to our understanding of plant metabolic regulation. However, the generation of detailed in vivo flux maps remains a major challenge. Flux investigations based on nuclear magnetic resonance have resolved small networks with high accuracy. Mass spectrometry (MS) approaches have broader potential, but have hitherto been limited in their power to deduce flux information due to lack of atomic level position information. Herein we established a gas chromatography (GC) coupled to MS-based approach that provides C-13-positional labelling information in glucose, malate and glutamate (Glu). A map of electron impact (EI)-mediated MS fragmentation was created and validated by C-13-positionally labelled references via GC-EI-MS and GC-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-MS technologies. The power of the approach was revealed by analysing previous C-13-MFA data from leaves and guard cells, and C-13-HCO3 labelling of guard cells harvested in the dark and after the dark-to-light transition. We demonstrated that the approach is applicable to established GC-EI-MS-based C-13-MFA without the need for experimental adjustment, but will benefit in the future from paired analyses by the two GC-MS platforms. We identified specific glucose carbon atoms that are preferentially labelled by photosynthesis and gluconeogenesis, and provide an approach to investigate the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPc)-derived C-13-incorporation into malate and Glu. Our results suggest that gluconeogenesis and the PEPc-mediated CO2 assimilation into malate are activated in a light-independent manner in guard cells. We further highlight that the fluxes from glycolysis and PEPc toward Glu are restricted by the mitochondrial thioredoxin system in illuminated leaves.

Automated summary

C-13 metabolic flux analysis has advanced our understanding of plant metabolic regulation, but detailed in vivo flux mapping remains challenging. NMR-based flux investigations offer high accuracy for small networks, while mass spectrometry approaches have broader potential but are limited by lack of atomic level position information.