The research of Dr. Katie Moore, leader of the NanoSIMS group at University of Manchester, ranges from hydrogen embrittlement studies to plant and nutrition sciences.
Recently, the NanoSIMS 50L instrument was used to investigate the temporal uptake and distribution of trace amounts of iron into wheat grain with a view to improve the iron content of the wheat grain and its bioavailability to the human digestive system.
NanoSIMS provides crucial benefits for such research: “For my plant science/nutrition research, the main advantage is its high spatial resolution — which allows subcellular mapping — combined with high elemental sensitivity.”
Wheat plants were fed with isotopically labeled iron, 57Fe, to see how their iron uptake and subcellular distribution would change compared to control grains. Thanks to the NanoSIMS 50L’s ability to detect isotopes, the distribution of 57Fe in wheat grain was mapped and isotopic ratios of 57Fe/56Fe were extracted from vacuolar regions within cells.
Coupled with isotope labeling, NanoSIMS allows to observe the flux of iron and start to understand transport mechanisms. Dr Moore states that the results were unexpected...
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Analyzing plant science processes with a CAMECA NanoSIMS at the University of Manchester to learn more!
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