Synchrotron radiation X-Ray analysis of metal-accumulating plants

Abstract

X-ray microanalyses have been utilized to determine mechanisms of metal detoxification and homeostasis in plants and are powerful tools, especially for target plants unsuitable for genetic analyses. This chapter describes several synchrotron-based research methods to determine metal element distribution and speciation of metal-accumulating plants. The procedures are described, to show how micro-X-ray techniques are applicable to various biological materials, including those that are solid or liquid, soft or hard, or wet or dry. Combination of X-ray microanalysis with other methodologies, including TEM (transmission electron microscope), SEM (scanning electron microscope), and techniques of biochemistry and molecular biology, is described. Overall, this chapter attempts to encourage cross-disciplinary work in metallomics.