Imaging with Mass Spectrometry of Bacteria on the Exoskeleton of Fungus-Growing Ants.

ABSTRACT: Mass spectrometry imaging is a powerful analytical technique for detecting and determining spatial distributions of molecules within a sample. Typically, mass spectrometry imaging is limited to the analysis of thin tissue sections taken from the middle of a sample. In this work, we present a mass spectrometry imaging method for the detection of compounds produced by bacteria on the outside surface of ant exoskeletons in response to pathogen exposure. Fungus-growing ants have a specialized mutualism with Pseudonocardia, a bacterium that lives on the ants' exoskeletons and helps protect their fungal garden food source from harmful pathogens. The developed method allows for visualization of bacterial-derived compounds on the ant exoskeleton. This method demonstrates the capability to detect c

SUBMITTER: Gemperline E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6314843 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature