Incorporation and translocation of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench monitored using a planar positron imaging system

[F-18]FDG (2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose) was fed to a sorghum plant [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] from the tip of a leaf and its movement was monitored using a planar positron imaging system (PPIS). [F-18]FDG was uptaken from the leaf tip and it was translocated to the basal part of the shoots from where it moved to the roots, the tillers and the sheaths. Autoradiographic analysis of the distribution of F-18, [F-18]FDG and/or its metabolites showed translocation to the roots, tillers, and to the leaves that were younger than the supplied leaf. Strong labelling was observed in the basal part of the shoots, in the sheaths, the youngest leaf and the root tips. Our results indicate that [F-18]FDG and/or its metabolites were absorbed from the leaf and translocated to the sites where nutrients are required. This strongly suggests that [F-18]FDG can be utilised as a tracer to study photoassimilate translocation in the living plant. This is the first report on the use of [F-18]FDG, which is routinely used as a probe for clinical diagnosis, to study source to sink translocation of metabolites in whole plants in real time.