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The determination of 22 natural brassinosteroids in a minute sample of plant tissue by UHPLC–ESI–MS/MS

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Abstract

The triterpenoid plant hormones brassinosteroids (BRs) are believed to influence almost every aspect of plant growth and development. We have developed a sensitive mass spectrometry-based method for the simultaneous profiling of twenty-two naturally occurring brassinosteroids including biosynthetic precursors and the majority of biologically active metabolites. Using ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic (UHPLC) analysis, the run time was reduced up to three times (to 9 min) in comparison to standard HPLC BRs analyses, the retention time stability was improved to 0.1–0.2 % RSD and the injection accuracy was increased to 1.1–4.9 % RSD. The procedures for extraction and for two-step purification based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) were optimised in combination with subsequent UHPLC analysis coupled to electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI–MS/MS) using Brassica flowers and Arabidopsis plant tissue extracts. In multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, the average detection limit for BRs analysed was close to 7 pg, and the linear range covered up to 3 orders of magnitude. The low detection limits for this broad range of BR metabolites enabled as little as 50 mg of plant tissue to be used for quantitative analyses. The results of determinations exploiting internal standards showed that this approach provides a high level of practicality, reproducibility and recovery. The method we have established will enable researchers to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of the biosynthesis and metabolism of brassinosteroids and their modes of action in plant growth and development.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express sincere thanks to Andrea Novotná for excellent technical assistance and Sees-editing Ltd. for critical reading and editing of the manuscript. This work was financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic through the National Program of Sustainability (grant no. LO1204) and through the program “Návrat” for Research, Development, and Innovations (grant. no. LK21306). Grant no. 14-34792S provided by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic is also appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Institute of Experimental Botany Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 27, CZ-78371, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Danuše Tarkowská, Ondřej Novák, Jana Oklestkova & Miroslav Strnad

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  1. Danuše Tarkowská
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Correspondence to Danuše Tarkowská.

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Tarkowská, D., Novák, O., Oklestkova, J. et al. The determination of 22 natural brassinosteroids in a minute sample of plant tissue by UHPLC–ESI–MS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem 408, 6799–6812 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-016-9807-2

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