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Secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging of the fixation of 15 N‐labelled NO in pollen grains
Author(s) -
Lhuissier,
Lefebvre,
Gibouin,
Demarty,
Thellier,
Ripoll
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2818.2000.00690.x
Subject(s) - pollen , chemistry , mass spectrometry , nitrogen fixation , analytical chemistry (journal) , nitrogen , botany , chromatography , biology , organic chemistry
We used secondary ion mass spectrometry to image cellular targets of nitrogen oxides (widespread air pollutants) in pollen grains of birch ( Betula verrucosa Ehrh.) and cockfoot ( Dactylis glomerata L.). The pollen samples were exposed to air supplemented with high doses of 15 NO. The pollen grains were then fixed, dehydrated using a newly developed ‘vapour phase’ preparation method and embedded in LRW resin. Semithin sections were then analysed. Imaging was performed in scanning mode. As usual, the two isotopes 14 N and 15 N were imaged as 12 C 14 N − and 12 C 15 N − , respectively. The isotopic percentages of 15 N were quantitatively determined either by image processing or by direct analysis. We show that the preferential areas of NO fixation in the pollen cell are the sporoderm and discrete intracytoplasmic structures that we tentatively describe as globoid‐like structures similar to those encountered in seeds.