Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Mass Spectrometry: Isotope Effect

Mass Spectrometry: Isotope Effect

Most elements exist in nature as a mixture of isotopes. The isotopes differ in weight due to their respective number of neutrons. The molecular weight of a molecule is different depending on the specific isotope of its elements involved. As a result, the mass spectrum of the molecule exhibits peaks from the same fragment at multiple positions. The positions of these mass signals depend on the difference between the molecular mass. Furthermore, the intensity of these signals is dependent on the...

Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis

Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis

Mass spectrometry is an important technique for the identification of pure compounds. However, it has some limitations for the analysis of complex mixtures, often due to excessive fragmentation making the spectrum too complicated to decipher. Mass spectrometry can be combined with suitable separation methods in sequence, forming hyphenated methods, which are useful in the analysis of complex mixtures.
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...

Mass Spectrometry: Overview

Mass Spectrometry: Overview

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique used to determine the molecular mass and molecular formula of a compound. The basic principle of mass spectrometry is to generate ions from the analyte molecule and measure these ion abundances against their molecular mass. One common type of ionization, known as electrospray ionization or EI, bombards the analyte molecules in the gas phase with high-energy electron beams. The electron beams displace an electron from the molecule and leave...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Tuning reductase activity in monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

De novo biosynthesis of halogenated benzoxazinoids in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Metabolic engineering·2026

Same author

Specific and Multi-Product Clade I and Clade IV Sesquiterpene Synthases Contribute to the Psilocybe cubensis Volatilome.

Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology·2026

Same author

Discovery of a Plant Pictet-Spenglerase With R-Stereoselectivity.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Same author

Biosynthesis of cinchona alkaloids.

Nature·2026

Same author

Comparative transcriptomic and co-expression analyses enable the discovery of key enzymes responsible for oleuropein biosynthesis in olive (Olea europaea).

Plant communications·2026

Same journal

Optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) micro-spectroscopic characterisation of breast cancer cell lines: a comparative molecular profile of MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and SKBR3 cells.

The Analyst·2026

Same journal

A novel electrochemiluminescence sensor using Lu-Au@Ni-MOF for ultra-sensitive detection of permethrin.

The Analyst·2026

Same journal

Sensitive detection of meat spoilage VOCs and visual monitoring of freshness <i>via</i> a UiO-66-NH<sub>2</sub>@MR nanocomposite-based colorimetric paper sensor.

The Analyst·2026

Same journal

AuNPs/rGO-enhanced molecularly imprinted field-effect transistor sensor for highly selective detection of lactic acid in sweat.

The Analyst·2026

Same journal

Surface-engineered biochar-Cu-BTC hybrid for ultrasensitive dual detection of uric acid and nitrite.

The Analyst·2026

Same journal

Metabolic profiles of MK-3984 (SARM) in zebrafish using ultra high performance liquid chromatography Q extractive HF hybrid quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-QE-HF-MS) for doping control.

The Analyst·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 9, 2025

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources

Published on: January 22, 2018

Isotopic labelling analysis using single cell mass spectrometry.

Anh Hai Vu¹, Sarah E O'Connor¹, Lorenzo Caputi¹

¹Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany. lcaputi@ice.mpg.de.

|September 5, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

We used single-cell mass spectrometry to track how plants synthesize specialized metabolites using labeled precursors. This technique reveals insights into metabolite production and movement within plant cells.

More Related Videos

A Method for Measuring Metabolism in Sorted Subpopulations of Complex Cell Communities Using Stable Isotope Tracing

A Method for Measuring Metabolism in Sorted Subpopulations of Complex Cell Communities Using Stable Isotope Tracing

Published on: February 4, 2017

Applications of the Single-probe: Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Single Cell Analysis under Ambient Conditions

Applications of the Single-probe: Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Single Cell Analysis under Ambient Conditions

Published on: June 14, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 9, 2025

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources

Published on: January 22, 2018

A Method for Measuring Metabolism in Sorted Subpopulations of Complex Cell Communities Using Stable Isotope Tracing

A Method for Measuring Metabolism in Sorted Subpopulations of Complex Cell Communities Using Stable Isotope Tracing

Published on: February 4, 2017

Applications of the Single-probe: Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Single Cell Analysis under Ambient Conditions

Applications of the Single-probe: Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Single Cell Analysis under Ambient Conditions

Published on: June 14, 2016

Area of Science:

Plant biology
Metabolomics
Analytical chemistry

Background:

Plant specialized metabolites are crucial for ecological interactions and have pharmaceutical potential.
Understanding their synthesis and transport at a cellular level is challenging.
Current methods often lack the resolution to track individual metabolite dynamics within single cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate the feasibility of using single-cell mass spectrometry for tracking metabolite synthesis.
To investigate the incorporation of stable-isotope labeled precursors into plant specialized metabolites at the single-cell level.
To explore the potential of this approach for studying metabolite dynamics and intercellular transport.

Main Methods:

Application of single-cell mass spectrometry.
Utilizing stable-isotope labeled precursors for tracing metabolic pathways.
Analysis of isotopically labeled compounds within individual plant cells.

Main Results:

Successfully tracked the incorporation of a labeled precursor into plant specialized metabolites within single cells.
Demonstrated the capability of single-cell mass spectrometry to resolve metabolic events at an unprecedented resolution.
Provided proof-of-concept for analyzing metabolite synthesis dynamics in a cellular context.

Conclusions:

Single-cell mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for dissecting plant specialized metabolism.
This approach offers new avenues for studying the complex dynamics of metabolite production and transport.
Future applications could significantly advance our understanding of plant biochemistry and cell-to-cell communication.