Stilbene phytoalexins are among the most accumulated
compounds
during grapevine–pathogen interactions. However, their steady-state
accumulation level and spatial distribution within the tissues to
counteract Botrytis cinerea infection
remain to be explored. In this work, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass
spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) was used to determine the spatial
distribution of different phytoalexins in grapevine leaves upon infection
with B. cinerea. Ultraperformance liquid
chromatography-fluorescence (UPLC-FL) was also employed to monitor
the accumulation pattern of these phytoalexins. This study showed
that stilbene compounds accumulate in areas close to the pathogen
infection sites. It was also revealed that the accumulation patterns
of the stilbene phytoalexins can vary from one time point postinfection
to another with specific accumulation patterns within each time point.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the separate
localization of grapevine stilbene phytoalexins has been revealed
following B. cinerea infection.