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Enquiries: NRC-PBI
Phone: 306-975-5248
Fax: 306-975-4839
Email: PBI-Info@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
110 Gymnasium Place
Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan,
S7N 0W9
Canada
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) at PBI
Magnetic resonance is a non-invasive technique with an infinitely broad range of applications in plant biotechnology, plant physiology, natural products, and food processing research and development. PBI's NMR personnel work with PBI researchers and in collaboration with external agencies, to develop novel non-destructive methods to meet these challenges. The laboratory is well equipped for multinuclear studies with a 500 MHz Bruker Avance system for high resolution studies complemented with a CryoProbe system for greater sensitivity and a 360 MHz Avance WB system fitted for work on solids, including magic-angle spinning (MAS) and microimaging.
Recent Studies:
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In situ MRI of water uptake and redistribution in seeds such as barley and conifers is being used to assess the role of seed moisture content in effective dormancy breakage and germination and to evaluate likely causes of seed deterioration during storage (9).
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NMR methods are being developed in collaboration with government and forest industry partners to predict conifer seed viability and germinative potential. These methods include 31P NMR of ATP/ADP turnover to examine energetic status of seeds and in situ 13C NMR metabolite profiling in seeds following germination.
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Salt stress in plants is being studied in vitro using 31P and 23Na NMR on suspension cell cultures to facilitate rapid determination of Na+/H+ exchanger overexpression. These experiments are designed to assist plant breeders in the selection of genetically engineered salt tolerant plants (8).
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Water distribution patterns in canola pods are being studied by MRI to complement biochemical studies of the origins of pod shattering and freezing effects on seed maturation (10).
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Plant metabolism studies involving amino acid metabolic pathways, the uptake and transport of ions into cells and compartments and carbon flux studies using 13C precursors for fatty acid synthesis (8).
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Microimaging studies of water uptake and redistribution in germinating seeds such as soybeans and barley to assist in the development of traits and quality improvement (3-5).
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Single seed oil analysis using MAS NMR on intact single canola seeds to provide information on oil content and unsaturation levels to assist in breeding programs (7).
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NMR of solid samples is being used in agricultural studies to measure the organic residues in soils (6).
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Determination of chemical structure and conformation of molecules related to plant hormones are determined by NMR (1-2,10).
Services
This facility is available to third-party clients or companies incubating at NRC-PBI through collaborative research projects or on a fee-for-service basis.
The NMR lab welcomes collaborations with industry and universities. The rates are designed to support academic and industrial research.
