Emerging technologies for non-invasive quantification of physiological oxygen transport in plants

P. Chaturvedi, University of Florida
M. Taguchi, University of Florida
S. L. Burrs, University of Florida
B. A. Hauser, University of Florida
W.W.A.W. Salim, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University
J. C. Claussen, Naval Research Laboratory; George Mason University
E. S. McLamore, University of Florida

Abstract

Oxygen plays a critical role in plant metabolism, stress response/signaling, and adaptation to environmental changes (Lambers and Colmer, Plant Soil 274:7-15, 2005; Pitzschke et al., Antioxid Redox Signal 8:1757-1764, 2006; Van Breusegem et al., Plant Sci 161:405-414, 2001). Reactive oxygen species (ROS), by-products of various metabolic pathways in which oxygen is a key molecule, are produced during adaptation responses to environmental stress. While much is known about plant adaptation to stress (e.g., detoxifying enzymes, antioxidant production), the link between ROS metabolism, O-2 transport, and stress response mechanisms is unknown. Thus, non-invasive technologies for measuring O-2 are critical for understanding the link between physiological O-2 transport and ROS signaling. New non-invasive technologies allow real-time measurement of O-2 at the single cell and even organelle levels. This review briefly summarizes currently available (i.e., mainstream) technologies for measuring O-2 and then introduces emerging technologies for measuring O-2. Advanced techniques that provide the ability to non-invasively (i.e., non-destructively) measure O-2 are highlighted. In the near future, these non-invasive sensors will facilitate novel experimentation that will allow plant physiologists to ask new hypothesis-driven research questions aimed at improving our understanding of physiological O-2 transport.

Discipline(s)

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology