Plant tissue culture as a model for study of diversity in formaldehyde binding

The effect of endogenous formaldehyde (HCHO) deprivation with dimedone - as abiotic stress - was investigated on the methylation-demethylation reactions in Datura innoxia Mill. callus cultures. The matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric (MALDI MS) investigation of the culture extracts revealed characteristic differences between the tissues cultivated in light and dark. MALDI MS data show the presence of a precursor molecule and its mono- and tri-hydroxymethyl derivative, only in the cultures maintained in light. The relative amount of the different derivatives changed considerably, as a consequence of dimedone application in the culture medium and during the extraction.