The emerging role of ICP-MS in proteomic analysis

Characterization of metal-labelled peptides by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry

Metal labelling of peptides and proteins using high-affinity metal-chelating compounds has found widespread applications in the medical and bioanalytical fields. In the present study we investigated the analysis of peptides derivatized either with cysteine- or amino group-directed metal-bound DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) chelators in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The metal complexes of DOTA were shown to be stable under MALDI-MS conditions. The introduction of the metal label led in a number of cases to significantly increased signal-to-noise (S/N) values and thus improved sensitivity of the labelled peptides compared to their unlabelled counterparts, especially for multiply labelled peptides. The presence of the labels did alter the tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) behaviour, namely the formation of sequence specific a-, b- and y-ion series, in dependence of the position of the label within the peptide sequence. For cysteine-derivatized peptides several label-specific reporter ions and characteristic immonium ions could be identified. Amino-directed labelling led only to the formation of characteristic immonium ions in ε-amino groups of lysine, whereas N-terminal labelling in some cases led to the formation of a(1)- and b(1)-ions. The results clearly show that MALDI-MS is suitable for the analysis of metal-labelled peptides, which was also confirmed in liquid chromatography (LC)/MALDI-based identification of proteins in a model protein mixture labelled with Cys-reactive DOTA. Here, in comparison to a run with alkylated cysteines, more than 50% more cysteine-containing peptides were identified.

Progress and possible applications of miniaturised separation techniques and elemental mass spectrometry for quantitative, heteroatom-tagged proteomics

The application of miniaturised separation techniques such as capillary LC, nano LC or capillary electrophoresis offers a number of advantages in terms of analytical performance, solvent consumption and the ability to analyse very small sample amounts. These features make them attractive for various bioanalytical tasks, in particular those related to the analysis of proteins and peptides. The skillful combination of such techniques with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has recently permitted the design of combined analytical approaches utilising either elemental or molecule-specific detection techniques such as electrospray ionisation (ESI) or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) mass spectrometry in a highly complementary manner for, as an example, proteomics-orientated research (heteroatom-tagged proteomics). Such hybrid approaches are, in particular, providing promising new options for the fast screening of complex samples for specific metal-containing or--more generally speaking--heteroatom-containing biomolecules, as well as the accurate absolute quantification of biomolecules, which is still an unsolved problem in bioanalysis. Here, progress in as well as the potential and the special requirements of hyphenating miniaturised separation techniques with ICP-MS are reviewed and critically discussed. In addition, selected applications are highlighted to indicate current and possible future trends within this emerging area of research.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: recent trends and developments

This year inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) moves into the fourth decade of development. In this article, some recent trends and developments in ICP-MS are reviewed, with special focus on instrumental development and emerging applications. Some key trends include a novel mass spectrometer for elemental and speciation analysis in Mattauch-Herzog geometry with a focal-plane-camera array detector. The reason for this development is the possibility to record the full elemental mass range simultaneously and all the time. Monitoring fast transient signals in chromatography or laser ablation is now possible and will become an important asset in future studies, e.g., for isotope ratio analysis. In addition, there is a lot of new activity and interest in the area of nanosciences and medicine. Here, instrumental developments are reported that allow the direct analysis of microparticles and single cells.

Plasma selenoproteins concentrations in type 2 diabetes mellitus--a pilot study

The association between the concentration/activity of selenium/selenoproteins in plasma and type 2 diabetes mellitus is still a matter of debate. This cross-sectional pilot study evaluates whether patients with diabetes present a different plasma selenoproteins status than a healthy control group and examines whether the introduction of clinical parameters allows the detection of correlations and further grouping criteria. For this purpose, the levels of plasma glutathione peroxidase (GPx), selenoprotein P (SelP), and seleno-albumin (SeAlb) present in 40 patients affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus were determined simultaneously and accurately by a newly developed analytical method. The results show that patients with diabetes demonstrate significantly lower levels of GPx and SeAlb with respect to healthy subjects (11 ± 3 ng/mL and 9 ± 2 ng/mL vs 18 ± 8 ng/mL and 11 ± 2 ng/mL, respectively). Significant negative correlations were revealed among GPx, SeAlb, and clinical parameters including fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and the albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Our findings suggest an association between the individual selenoproteins concentration and the presence of diabetes, including associated clinical parameters. It currently cannot be ascertained whether the altered selenoproteins status is a consequence or a causative factor for diabetes. This study demonstrates the potential of a method for individual selenoproteins determination for investigating the biochemical relationship between selenium and diabetes.

ICP-MS for multiplex absolute determinations of proteins

In the last few years MS-based proteomics has been turning quantitative because only the quantity of existing proteins or changes of their abundance in a studied sample reflect the actual status and the extent of possible changes in a given biological system. So far, however, only relative quantifications are common place. Recently, the ideal analytical features of ICP-MS that allow robust, accurate and precise absolute determinations of heteroelements (present in proteins and their peptides) have opened the door to its use, as a complementary ion source of MALDI- and/or ESI-(MS), in achieving the "absolute" quantification of a protein. Unfortunately, so far such "heteroatom-tagged proteomics" applications deal with only single-heteroatom measurements. Thus, the outstanding capability of ICP-MS for multi-element (-isotope) simultaneous determinations is somewhat wasted. On the other hand, multiplexed determinations of proteins (e.g. in common or new multiplexed formats) today constitute a pressing need in medical science (e.g. to determine accurately many biomarkers at a time). This is a clear trend in analytical science where ICP-MS could eventually play an important role. Therefore, reported approaches to multiplex protein determinations using ICP-MS, with liquid sample nebulisation and with laser direct sampling from a solid, are discussed here. Apart from such multiplex bioassays for absolute protein determinations, efforts to simultaneously quantitate enzyme activities are also discussed. It appears that the time is ripe to combine the multi-isotopic character of ICP-MS with well-known multi-analyte separation techniques (e.g. HPLC or multiplex immunoassays) to tackle the challenge of analysing abundances and activities of several proteins and enzymes, respectively, in a single assay. Many attractive opportunities for creative work and interdisciplinary developments for analytical atomic spectroscopists seem to lie ahead related to multiplexed quantitative targeted proteomics via ICP-MS.

Quantitative targeted biomarker assay for glycated haemoglobin by multidimensional LC using mass spectrometric detection

The development of quantitative strategies for targeted biomarker analysis represents an urgent task especially in the field of clinical diagnosis. In this regard, the measurement of glycohaemoglobin (HbA(1c)) in blood has become the most specific way of monitoring long-term glycaemia in diabetic patients. Thus, there is an urgent need for methods that provide accurate and precise HbA(1c) results. A new method for the determination of HbA(1c) in blood samples based on the complementary use of multidimensional liquid chromatography (LC) and elemental (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ICP-MS) and molecular (electrospray-mass spectrometry, ESI-MS) MS techniques has been developed and validated. Different multidimensional separation possibilities by combining affinity and cation exchange chromatography have been explored for the adequate isolation of HbA(1c), which purity is addressed by ESI-MS. The workflow includes a final quantitative determination of HbA(1c) by elemental (Fe) isotope dilution analysis (IDA) with ICP-MS. For this purpose, the post-column addition of the isotopically labeled iron ((57)Fe) has been used to quantify the eluting Fe-species from the column. The IDA methodology has been validated by analyzing a certified reference material and several samples from patients whose HbA(1c) levels were determined by a standard reference method.

The first example of MEEKC-ICP-MS coupling and its application for the analysis of anticancer platinum complexes

MEEKC is a powerful electrodriven separation technique with many applications in different disciplines, including medicinal chemistry; however, up to now the coupling to highly sensitive and selective MS detectors was limited due to the ion suppressive effect of the commonly used surfactant SDS. Herein, the first example of the coupling of MEEKC to ICP-MS is presented and an MEEKC method for the separation of Pt(II) and Pt(IV) anticancer drugs and drug candidates was developed. Different compositions of microemulsions were evaluated and the data were compared with those collected with standard ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis) spectroscopy detection. The MEEKC-ICP-MS system was found to be more sensitive than MEEKC-UV/vis and the analysis of UV/vis silent compounds is now achievable. The migration behavior of the Pt(II) and Pt(IV) compounds under investigation is correlated to their different chemical structures.

Metallothioneins: unparalleled diversity in structures and functions for metal ion homeostasis and more

Metallothioneins have been the subject of intense study for five decades, and have greatly inspired the development of bio-analytical methodologies including multi-dimensional and multi-nuclear NMR.With further advancements in molecular biology, protein science, and instrumental techniques, recent years have seen a renaissance of research into metallothioneins. The current report focuses on in vitro studies of so-called class II metallothioneins from a variety of phyla, highlighting the diversity of metallothioneins in terms of structure, biological functions, and molecular functions such as metal ion specificity, thermodynamic stabilities, and kinetic reactivity. We are still far from being able to predict any of these properties, and further efforts will be required to generate the knowledge that will enable a better understanding of what governs the biological and chemical properties of these unusual and intriguing small proteins.

Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry in proteomics, metabolomics and metallomics studies

The potential of inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and its complementarity to soft- ionization MS techniques are discussed in the context of the analysis for biomolecules. ICP-MS offers detection limits in the attomolar range, regardless of the molecular environment of the target element. The sensitivity is hardly affected by the sample matrix, chromatographic mobile phase, or co-eluted compounds. The abundance sensitivity over six decades and the linear dynamic range over nine decades make simultaneous multi-isotopic analysis routinely possible. The manuscript discusses the state-of-the-art of ICP-MS for the detection of proteins in gel electrophoresis and of peptides in 2D high-performance liquid chromatography. The possibilities of quantification to the degree of some post-translational modifications are highlighted. Attention is also paid to the role of ICP-MS in protein quantification via metal-coded labeling and to the use of differentially-labeled antibodies for the multiplexed biomarker analysis. The key role of ICP-MS in the emerging area of metallomics is briefly discussed.