Gene relationships studied with LC-MS

Scientists working at the RIKEN Plant Science Center have detailed some of their investigations into plant genes using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

The team used LC-MS to look into how metabolites produced in plants are expressed differently if genes are knocked out.

Some genes have duplicates, while others do not, with the former harder to study as their activity can be reproduced elsewhere in the plant's genetic code.

However, the researchers found that functional compensation occurs at significant levels only when genes are very closely matched with their duplicates.

Studies were based on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and assessed the expression of 35 metabolites.

From 1,976 genes, 17 primary and 18 secondary metabolites were analysed in order to compile the results of the research.

RIKEN was founded as a private research foundation in 1917 and became a public corporation in 1958, before converting to an independent administrative institution in 2003.