Shoot tip culture: a step towards 13C metabolite flux analysis of sink leaf metabolism

BACKGROUND: Better understanding of the physiological and metabolic status of plants can only be obtained when metabolic fluxes are accurately assessed in a growing plant. Steady state (13)C-MFA has been established as a routine method for analysis of fluxes in plant primary metabolism. However, the experimental system needs to be improved for continuous carbon enrichment from labelled sugars into metabolites for longer periods until complex secondary metabolism reaches steady state. RESULTS: We developed an in vitro plant culture strategy by using peppermint as a model plant with minimizing unlabelled carbon fixation where growing shoot tip was strongly dependent on labelled glucose for their carbon necessity. We optimized the light condition and detected the satisfactory phenotypical growth under the lower light intensity. Total volatile terpenes were also highest at the same light. Analysis of label incorporation into pulegone monoterpene after continuous U-(13)C(6) glucose feeding revealed nearly 100% (13)C, even at 15 days after first leaf visibility (DALV). Label enrichment was gradually scrambled with increasing light intensity and leaf age. This study was validated by showing similar levels of label enrichment in proteinogenic amino acids. The efficiency of this method was also verified in oregano. CONCLUSIONS: Our shoot tip culture depicted a method in achieving long term, stable and a high percentage of label accumulation in secondary metabolites within a fully functional growing plant system. It recommends the potential application for the investigations of various facets of plant metabolism by steady state (13)C-MFA. The system also provides a greater potential to study sink leaf metabolism. Overall, we propose a system to accurately describe complex metabolic phenotypes in a growing plant. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13007-019-0434-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.