Optimized protocol for Fingerprinting of Rhizobial Free Fatty Acids
IPB scientists, in close cooperation with Russian researchers, have published a straightforward protocol for the quantification of free fatty acids from the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Rhizobiales. As mutalistic symbionts of legumes, these bacteria are of great ecological and economic importance. Since the fatty acid profiles of Rhizobiales influence plant root infiltration and therefore successful symbiosis, quantification of these fatty acids is particularly interesting.
In contrast to conventional analytical methods, such as gas or liquid chromatography, the novel protocol combines matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and Langmuir technology, which enables the incoporation of fatty acids in monolayers with high regularity at the molecular level. This combination ensures higher sensitivity and derivate stability. Simultaneously, sample preparation is less time-consuming and analysis less susceptible to artifacts. The step-by-step protocol is therefore particularly useful for high-throughput fatty acid fingerprinting.
