Statistical analysis of carbon fixation and translocation in Arabidopsis seedlings on petri dish by using positron-emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS)

Kawachi, Naoki; Koyanagi, Atsushi*; Suzui, Nobuo; Yin, Y.-G.; Ishii, Satomi; Shimada, Hiroaki*; Fujimaki, Shu

Using the positron-emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS), we have been developing quantitative methods for analyzing the kinetics of carbon fixation and translocation within plants. In this study, our idea is to apply PETIS methods for a large number of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings grown on petri dishes to minimize individual differences. CO must be administered uniformly to the plants on the petri dishes in a specially designed chamber to realize reliable estimation of carbon fixation rates from the PETIS image. Mathematical analysis of the image data must be established which can quantitate both carbon fixation rate from the amount of fixed C in each plant body, and translocation rate from the local decrease / increase of C within it. The estimated parameters of fixation and translocation for the respective plants will be integrated and analyzed statistically. We applied the method to evaluation of the separate impact of salt stress on carbon fixation and translocation, and different susceptibility was suggested.