Analysis of Somaclonal Variation by Metabolite Profiling

Somaclonal variation is defined as genetic and epigenetic transformations that appear in tissues and organs of plants grown in vitro. These changes can be determined by applying a technology such as metabolomics, which is a tool for the study and elucidation of the relationships of metabolites produced by plants. Metabolomics is important to understand chemical variations as plants grow and develop. A biological system can be analyzed by metabolomics through the combination of chromatographic techniques coupled with mass spectrometry to separate and identify plant-derived compounds. Plant metabolites present a wide variety of chemical structures, being possible to distinguish primary and secondary metabolites. Primary compounds are basic for plant growth and development, while secondary metabolites have more specific purposes. Both primary and secondary compounds are part of the plant response mechanisms.