Kiyoshi Mashiguchi
Starch granules of cereal endosperms are characterized by the presence of lipids, especially lysophoshatidylcholine (LysoPC), which are strongly bound to carbohydrate polymers. Gayral et al. (on pp.139-151) report on the spatio-temporal deposition of starch-bound LysoPC in developing maize endosperms by using MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) and analysing the expression of lipid genes; through which they propose a new model for lipid trafficking between the endoplasmic reticulum and amyloplasts.