Charge-State Dependent Compaction and Dissociation of Protein Complexes: Insights from Ion Mobility and Molecular Dynamics

Collision induced unfolding of isolated proteins in the gas phase: past, present, and future

Rapidly characterizing the three-dimensional structures of proteins and the multimeric machines they form remains one of the great challenges facing modern biological and medical sciences. Ion mobility-mass spectrometry based techniques are playing an expanding role in characterizing these functional complexes, especially in drug discovery and development workflows. Despite this expansion, ion mobility-mass spectrometry faces many challenges, especially in the context of detecting small differences in protein tertiary structure that bear functional consequences. Collision induced unfolding is an ion mobility-mass spectrometry method that enables the rapid differentiation of subtly-different protein isoforms based on their unfolding patterns and stabilities. In this review, we summarize the modern implementation of such gas-phase unfolding experiments and provide an overview of recent developments in both methods and applications.

Confirmation of intersubunit connectivity and topology of designed protein complexes by native MS

Computational protein design provides the tools to expand the diversity of protein complexes beyond those found in nature. Understanding the rules that drive proteins to interact with each other enables the design of protein-protein interactions to generate specific protein assemblies. In this work, we designed protein-protein interfaces between dimers and trimers to generate dodecameric protein assemblies with dihedral point group symmetry. We subsequently analyzed the designed protein complexes by native MS. We show that the use of ion mobility MS in combination with surface-induced dissociation (SID) allows for the rapid determination of the stoichiometry and topology of designed complexes. The information collected along with the speed of data acquisition and processing make SID ion mobility MS well-suited to determine key structural features of designed protein complexes, thereby circumventing the requirement for more time- and sample-consuming structural biology approaches.

Adding a new separation dimension to MS and LC-MS: What is the utility of ion mobility spectrometry?

Ion mobility spectrometry is an analytical technique known for more than 100 years, which entails separating ions in the gas phase based on their size, shape, and charge. While ion mobility spectrometry alone can be useful for some applications (mostly security analysis for detecting certain classes of narcotics and explosives), it becomes even more powerful in combination with mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography. Indeed, the limited resolving power of ion mobility spectrometry alone can be tackled when combining this analytical strategy with mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Over the last few years, the hyphenation of ion mobility spectrometry to mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry has attracted more and more interest, with significant progresses in both technical advances and pioneering applications. This review describes the theoretical background, available technologies, and future capabilities of these techniques. It also highlights a wide range of applications, from small molecules (natural products, metabolites, glycans, lipids) to large biomolecules (proteins, protein complexes, biopharmaceuticals, oligonucleotides).

Combining Mass Spectrometry and X-Ray Crystallography for Analyzing Native-Like Membrane Protein Lipid Complexes

Membrane proteins represent a challenging family of macromolecules, particularly related to the methodology aimed at characterizing their three-dimensional structure. This is mostly due to their amphipathic nature as well as requirements of ligand bindings to stabilize or control their function. Recently, Mass Spectrometry (MS) has become an important tool to identify the overall stoichiometry of native-like membrane proteins complexed to ligand bindings as well as to provide insights into the transport mechanism across the membrane, with complementary information coming from X-ray crystallography. This perspective article emphasizes MS findings coupled with X-ray crystallography in several membrane protein lipid complexes, in particular transporters, ion channels and molecular machines, with an overview of techniques that allows a more thorough structural interpretation of the results, which can help us to unravel hidden mysteries on the membrane protein function.

Gas-Phase Protein Salt Bridge Stabilities from Collisional Activation and Electron Transfer Dissociation

The gas phase structures of several proteins have been studied by electron transfer dissociation (ETD) with and without prior collisional heating after electrospraying these proteins from native-like solutions into a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. Without prior collisional heating, we find that ETD fragmentation is mostly limited to regions of the protein that are not spanned by the salt bridges known to form in solution. When protein ions are collisionally heated before ETD, new product ions are observed, and in almost all cases, these new ions arise from protein regions that are spanned by the salt bridges. Together these results confirm the existence of salt bridges in protein ions and demonstrate that a sufficient amount energy is required to disrupt these salt bridges in the gas phase. More interestingly, we also show that different salt bridges require different collisional activation voltages to be disrupted, suggesting that they have variable stabilities in the gas phase. These stabilities appear to be influenced by the gas-phase basicities of the involved residues and the presence of nearby charged residues. We also find that higher collisional activation voltages are needed to enable the formation of new product from sites spanned by multiple salt bridges.

Interpreting the Collision Cross Sections of Native-like Protein Ions: Insights from Cation-to-Anion Proton-Transfer Reactions

The effects of charge state on structures of native-like cations of serum albumin, streptavidin, avidin, and alcohol dehydrogenase were probed using cation-to-anion proton-transfer reactions (CAPTR), ion mobility, mass spectrometry, and complementary energy-dependent experiments. The CAPTR products all have collision cross-section (Ω) values that are within 5.5% of the original precursor cations. The first CAPTR event for each precursor yields products that have smaller Ω values and frequently exhibit the greatest magnitude of change in Ω resulting from a single CAPTR event. To investigate how the structures of the precursors affect the structures of the products, ions were activated as a function of energy prior to CAPTR. In each case, the Ω values of the activated precursors increase with increasing energy, but the Ω values of the CAPTR products are smaller than the activated precursors. To investigate the stabilities of the CAPTR products, the products were activated immediately prior to ion mobility. These results show that additional structures with smaller or larger Ω values can be populated and that the structures and stabilities of these ions depend most strongly on the identity of the protein and the charge state of the product, rather than the charge state of the precursor or the number of CAPTR events. Together, these results indicate that the excess charges initially present on native-like ions have a modest, but sometimes statistically significant, effect on their Ω values. Therefore, potential contributions from charge state should be considered when using experimental Ω values to elucidate structures in solution.

Structural Dynamics of Native-Like Ions in the Gas Phase: Results from Tandem Ion Mobility of Cytochrome c

Ion mobility (IM) is a gas-phase separation technique that is used to determine the collision cross sections of native-like ions of proteins and protein complexes, which are in turn used as restraints for modeling the structures of those analytes in solution. Here, we evaluate the stability of native-like ions using tandem IM experiments implemented using structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIM). In this implementation of tandem IM, ions undergo a first dimension of IM up to a switch that is used to selectively transmit ions of a desired mobility. Selected ions are accumulated in a trap and then released after a delay to initiate the second dimension of IM. For delays ranging from 16 to 33 231 ms, the collision cross sections of native-like, 7+ cytochrome c ions increase monotonically from 15.1 to 17.1 nm². The largest products formed in these experiments at near-ambient temperature are still far smaller than those formed in energy-dependent experiments (∼21 nm²). However, the collision cross section increases by ∼2% between delay times of 16 and 211 ms, which may have implications for other IM experiments on these time scales. Finally, two subpopulations from the full population were each mobility selected and analyzed as a function of delay time, showing that the three populations can be differentiated for at least 1 s. Together, these results suggest that elements of native-like structure can have long lifetimes at near-ambient temperature in the gas phase but that gas-phase dynamics should be considered when interpreting results from IM.

Charge Mediated Compaction and Rearrangement of Gas-Phase Proteins: A Case Study Considering Two Proteins at Opposing Ends of the Structure-Disorder Continuum

Charge reduction in the gas phase provides a direct means of manipulating protein charge state, and when coupled to ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS), it is possible to monitor the effect of charge on protein conformation in the absence of solution. Use of the electron transfer reagent 1,3-dicyanobenzene, coupled with IM-MS, allows us to monitor the effect of charge reduction on the conformation of two proteins deliberately chosen from opposite sides of the order to disorder continuum: bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) and beta casein. The ordered BPTI presents compact conformers for each of three charge states accompanied by narrow collision cross-section distributions (TWCCSDN2→He). Upon reduction of BPTI, irrespective of precursor charge state, the TWCCSN2→He decreases to a similar distribution as found for the nESI generated ion of identical charge. The behavior of beta casein upon charge reduction is more complex. It presents over a wide charge state range (9-28), and intermediate charge states (13-18) have broad TWCCSDN2→He with multiple conformations, where both compaction and rearrangement are seen. Further, we see that the TWCCSDN2→He of the latter charge states are even affected by the presence of radical anions. Overall, we conclude that the flexible nature of some proteins result in broad conformational distributions comprised of many families, even for single charge states, and the barrier between different states can be easily overcome by an alteration of the net charge. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Native-Like and Denatured Cytochrome c Ions Yield Cation-to-Anion Proton Transfer Reaction Products with Similar Collision Cross-Sections

The relationship between structures of protein ions, their charge states, and their original structures prior to ionization remains challenging to decouple. Here, we use cation-to-anion proton transfer reactions (CAPTR) to reduce the charge states of cytochrome c ions in the gas phase, and ion mobility to probe their structures. Ions were formed using a new temperature-controlled nanoelectrospray ionization source at 25 °C. Characterization of this source demonstrates that the temperature of the liquid sample is decoupled from that of the atmospheric pressure interface, which is heated during CAPTR experiments. Ionization from denaturing conditions yields 18+ to 8+ ions, which were each isolated and reacted with monoanions to generate all CAPTR products with charge states of at least 3+. The highest, intermediate, and lowest charge-state products exhibit collision cross-section distributions that are unimodal, multimodal, and unimodal, respectively. These distributions depend strongly on the charge state of the product, although those for the intermediate charge-state products also depend on that of the precursor. The distributions of the 3+ products are all similar, with averages that are less than half that of the 18+ precursor ions. Ionization of cytochrome c from native-like conditions yields 7+ and 6+ ions. The 3+ CAPTR products from these precursors have slightly more compact collision cross-section distributions that are indistinguishable from those for the 3+ CAPTR products from denaturing conditions. More broadly, these results indicate that the collision cross-sections of ions of this single domain protein depend strongly on charge state for charge states greater than ~4. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Antarctic fish versus human cytoglobins - The same but yet so different

The cytoglobins of the Antarctic fish Chaenocephalus aceratus and Dissostichus mawsoni have many features in common with human cytoglobin. These cytoglobins are heme proteins in which the ferric and ferrous forms have a characteristic hexacoordination of the heme iron, i.e. axial ligation of two endogenous histidine residues, as confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance, resonance Raman and optical absorption spectroscopy. The combined spectroscopic analysis revealed only small variations in the heme-pocket structure, in line with the small variations observed for the redox potential. Nevertheless, some striking differences were also discovered. Resonance Raman spectroscopy showed that the stabilization of an exogenous heme ligand, such as CO, occurs differently in human cytoglobin in comparison with Antarctic fish cytoglobins. Furthermore, while it has been extensively reported that human cytoglobin is essentially monomeric and can form an intramolecular disulfide bridge that can influence the ligand binding kinetics, 3D modeling of the Antarctic fish cytoglobins indicates that the cysteine residues are too far apart to form such an intramolecular bridge. Moreover, gel filtration and mass spectrometry reveal the occurrence of non-covalent multimers (up to pentamers) in the Antarctic fish cytoglobins that are formed at low concentrations. Stabilization of these oligomers by disulfide-bridge formation is possible, but not essential. If intermolecular disulfide bridges are formed, they influence the heme-pocket structure, as is shown by EPR measurements.

Effects of Solution Structure on the Folding of Lysozyme Ions in the Gas Phase

The fidelity between the structures of proteins in solution and protein ions in the gas phase is critical to experiments that use gas-phase measurements to infer structures in solution. Here we generate ions of lysozyme, a 129-residue protein whose native tertiary structure contains four internal disulfide bonds, from three solutions that preserve varying extents of the original native structure. We then use cation-to-anion proton-transfer reactions (CAPTR) to reduce the charge states of those ions in the gas phase and ion mobility to probe their structures. The collision cross section (Ω) distributions of each CAPTR product depends to varying extents on the original solution, the charge state of the product, and the charge state of the precursor. For example, the Ω distributions of the 6+ ions depend strongly on the original solutions conditions and to a lesser extent on the charge state of the precursor. Energy-dependent experiments suggest that very different structures are accessible to disulfide-reduced and disulfide-intact ions, but similar Ω distributions are formed at high energy for disulfide-intact ions from denaturing and from aqueous conditions. The Ω distributions of the 3+ ions are all similar but exhibit subtle differences that depend more strongly on the original solutions conditions than other factors. More generally, these results suggest that specific CAPTR products may be especially sensitive to specific elements of structure in solution.

Enhanced Mixture Separations of Metal Adducted Tetrasaccharides Using Frequency Encoded Ion Mobility Separations and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Using five isomeric tetrasaccharides in combination with seven multivalent metals, the impact on mobility separations and resulting CID spectra were examined using a hybrid ion mobility atmospheric pressure drift tube system coupled with a linear ion trap. By enhancing the duty cycle of the drift tube system using a linearly chirped frequency, the collision-induced dissociation spectra were encoded in the mobility domain according to the drift times of each glycan isomer precursor. Differential fragmentation patterns correlated with precursor drift times ensured direct assignment of fragments with precursor structure whether as individual standards or in a mixture of isomers. In addition to certain metal ions providing higher degrees of separation than others, in select cases more than one arrival time distribution was observed for a single pure carbohydrate isomer. These observations suggest the existence of alternative coordination sites within a single monomeric species, but more interesting was the observation of different fragmentation ion yields for carbohydrate dimers formed through metal adduction. Positive-ion data were also compared with negative-ion species, where dimer formation did not occur and single peaks were observed for each isomeric tetrasaccharide-alditol. This enhanced analytical power has implications not only for carbohydrate molecules but also for a wide variety of complex mixtures of molecules where dissociation spectra may potentially be derived from combinations of monomeric, homodimeric, and heterodimeric species having identical nominal m/z values. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Acetylation and phosphorylation control both local and global stability of the chloroplast F1 ATP synthase

ATP synthases (ATPases) are enzymes that produce ATP and control the pH in the cell or cellular compartments. While highly conserved over different species, ATPases are structurally well-characterised but the existence and functional significance of many post-translational modifications (PTMs) is not well understood. We combined a range of mass spectrometric techniques to unravel the location and extent of PTMs in the chloroplast ATP synthase (cATPase) purified from spinach leaves. We identified multiple phosphorylation and acetylation sites and found that both modifications stabilise binding of ε and δ subunits. Comparing cross-linking of naturally modified cATPase with the in vitro deacetylated enzyme revealed a major conformational change in the ε subunit in accord with extended and folded forms of the subunit. Locating modified residues within the catalytic head we found that phosphorylated and acetylated residues are primarily on α/β and β/α interfaces respectively. By aligning along different interfaces the higher abundance acetylated residues are proximal to the regulatory sites while the lower abundance phosphorylation sites are more densely populated at the catalytic sites. We propose that modifications in the catalytic head, together with the conformational change in subunit ε, work in synergy to fine-tune the enzyme during adverse conditions.

Integrating mass spectrometry with MD simulations reveals the role of lipids in Na+/H+ antiporters

Na+/H+ antiporters are found in all kingdoms of life and exhibit catalysis rates that are among the fastest of all known secondary-active transporters. Here we combine ion mobility mass spectrometry and molecular dynamics simulations to study the conformational stability and lipid-binding properties of the Na+/H+ exchanger NapA from Thermus thermophilus and compare this to the prototypical antiporter NhaA from Escherichia coli and the human homologue NHA2. We find that NapA and NHA2, but not NhaA, form stable dimers and do not selectively retain membrane lipids. By comparing wild-type NapA with engineered variants, we show that the unfolding of the protein in the gas phase involves the disruption of inter-domain contacts. Lipids around the domain interface protect the native fold in the gas phase by mediating contacts between the mobile protein segments. We speculate that elevator-type antiporters such as NapA, and likely NHA2, use a subset of annular lipids as structural support to facilitate large-scale conformational changes within the membrane.

Native Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Oligomerization States of Fluorescence Recovery Protein and Orange Carotenoid Protein: Two Proteins Involved in the Cyanobacterial Photoprotection Cycle

The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) and fluorescence recovery protein (FRP) are present in many cyanobacteria and regulate an essential photoprotection cycle in an antagonistic manner as a function of light intensity. We characterized the oligomerization states of OCP and FRP by using native mass spectrometry, a technique that has the capability of studying native proteins under a wide range of protein concentrations and molecular masses. We found that dimeric FRP is the predominant state at protein concentrations ranging from 3 to 180 μM and that higher-order oligomers gradually form at protein concentrations above this range. The OCP, however, demonstrates significantly different oligomerization behavior. Monomeric OCP (mOCP) dominates at low protein concentrations, with an observable population of dimeric OCP (dOCP). The ratio of dOCP to mOCP, however, increases proportionally with protein concentration. Higher-order OCP oligomers form at protein concentrations beyond 10 μM. Additionally, native mass spectrometry coupled with ion mobility allowed us to measure protein collisional cross sections and interrogate the unfolding of different FRP and OCP oligomers. We found that monomeric FRP exhibits a one-stage unfolding process, which could be correlated with its C-terminal bent crystal structure. The structural domain compositions of FRP and OCP are compared and discussed.

Gas-Phase Analysis of the Complex of Fibroblast GrowthFactor 1 with Heparan Sulfate: A Traveling Wave Ion Mobility Spectrometry (TWIMS) and Molecular Modeling Study

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) regulate several cellular developmental processes by interacting with cell surface heparan proteoglycans and transmembrane cell surface receptors (FGFR). The interaction of FGF with heparan sulfate (HS) is known to induce protein oligomerization, increase the affinity of FGF towards its receptor FGFR, promoting the formation of the HS-FGF-FGFR signaling complex. Although the role of HS in the signaling pathways is well recognized, the details of FGF oligomerization and formation of the ternary signaling complex are still not clear, with several conflicting models proposed in literature. Here, we examine the effect of size and sulfation pattern of HS upon FGF1 oligomerization, binding stoichiometry and conformational stability, through a combination of ion mobility (IM) and theoretical modeling approaches. Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IMMS) of FGF1 in the presence of several HS fragments ranging from tetrasaccharide (dp4) to dodecasaccharide (dp12) in length was performed. A comparison of the binding stoichiometry of variably sulfated dp4 HS to FGF1 confirmed the significance of the previously known high-affinity binding motif in FGF1 dimerization, and demonstrated that certain tetrasaccharide-length fragments are also capable of inducing dimerization of FGF1. The degree of oligomerization was found to increase in the presence of dp12 HS, and a general lack of specificity for longer HS was observed. Additionally, collision cross-sections (CCSs) of several FGF1-HS complexes were calculated, and were found to be in close agreement with experimental results. Based on the (CCSs) a number of plausible binding modes of 2:1 and 3:1 FGF1-HS are proposed. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Radio-Frequency (rf) Confinement in Ion Mobility Spectrometry: Apparent Mobilities and Effective Temperatures

Ion mobility is a powerful tool for separating and characterizing the structures of ions. Here, a radio-frequency (rf) confining drift cell is used to evaluate the drift times of ions over a broad range of drift field strengths (E/P, V cm^-1 Torr^-1). The presence of rf potentials radially confines ions and results in excellent ion transmission at low E/P (less than 1 V cm^-1 Torr^-1), thereby reducing the dependence of ion transmission on the applied drift voltage. Non-linear responses between drift time and reciprocal drift voltages are observed for extremely low E/P and high rf amplitudes. Under these conditions, pseudopotential wells generated by the rf potentials dampen the mobility of ions. The effective potential approximation is used to characterize this mobility dampening behavior, which can be mitigated by adjusting rf amplitudes and electrode dimensions. Using SIMION trajectories and statistical arguments, the effective temperatures of ions in an rf-confining drift cell are evaluated. Results for the doubly charged peptide GRGDS suggest that applied rf potentials can result in a subtle increase (2 K) in effective temperature compared to an electrostatic drift tube. Additionally, simulations of native-like ions of the protein complex avidin suggest that rf potentials have a negligible effect on the effective temperature of these ions. In general, the results of this study suggest that applied rf potentials enable the measurement of drift times at extremely low E/P and that these potentials have negligible effects on ion effective temperature. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Deriving Structural Information from Experimentally Measured Data on Biomolecules

During the past half century, the number and accuracy of experimental techniques that can deliver values of observables for biomolecular systems have been steadily increasing. The conversion of a measured value Q^exp of an observable quantity Q into structural information is, however, a task beset with theoretical and practical problems: 1) insufficient or inaccurate values of Q^exp , 2) inaccuracies in the function Q(r→) used to relate the quantity Q to structure r→ , 3) how to account for the averaging inherent in the measurement of Q^exp , 4) how to handle the possible multiple-valuedness of the inverse r→(Q) of the function Q(r→) , to mention a few. These apply to a variety of observable quantities Q and measurement techniques such as X-ray and neutron diffraction, small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering, free-electron laser imaging, cryo-electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, circular dichroism, Förster resonance energy transfer, atomic force microscopy and ion-mobility mass spectrometry. The process of deriving structural information from measured data is reviewed with an eye to non-experts and newcomers in the field using examples from the literature of the effect of the various choices and approximations involved in the process. A list of choices to be avoided is provided.

Following a Folding Transition with Capillary Electrophoresis and Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is increasingly used to describe solution-phase phenomena and has recently been used to establish the presence of multiple intermediates during the folding of a model polypeptide, polyproline. These observations, however, are made on gas-phase structures. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a complementary solution-phase technique, also based on the separation of charged species as a function of size and charge. Here, both ion mobility and capillary electrophoresis are used to follow the folding transition of a 13-mer polyproline peptide from the all-cis polyproline I (PPI) conformation to the all-trans polyproline II (PPII) conformation upon immersion in aqueous solvent. Synchronous folding processes are observed using both techniques. Eight conformers are observed using ion mobility. Although only five peaks are observed using capillary electrophoresis, these peaks can be modeled as sums of the observed IMS conformers; this is strong evidence that ion mobility is sampling solution-phase structures. CE measurements provide the first direct evidence that multiple folding intermediates are present in solution.

Collision-Induced Dissociation of Electrosprayed NaCl Clusters: Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Visualize Reaction Cascades in the Gas Phase

Infusion of NaCl solutions into an electrospray ionization (ESI) source produces [Na_(n+1)Cl _n ]⁺ and other gaseous clusters. The n = 4, 13, 22 magic number species have cuboid ground state structures and exhibit elevated abundance in ESI mass spectra. Relatively few details are known regarding the mechanisms whereby these clusters undergo collision-induced dissociation (CID). The current study examines to what extent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be used to garner insights into the sequence of events taking place during CID. Experiments on singly charged clusters reveal that the loss of small neutrals is the dominant fragmentation pathway. MD simulations indicate that the clusters undergo extensive structural fluctuations prior to decomposition. Consistent with the experimentally observed behavior, most of the simulated dissociation events culminate in ejection of small neutrals ([NaCl] _i , with i = 1, 2, 3). The MD data reveal that the prevalence of these dissociation channels is linked to the presence of short-lived intermediates where a relatively compact core structure carries a small [NaCl] _i protrusion. The latter can separate from the parent cluster via cleavage of a single Na-Cl contact. Fragmentation events of this type are kinetically favored over other dissociation channels that would require the quasi-simultaneous rupture of multiple electrostatic contacts. The CID behavior of NaCl cluster ions bears interesting analogies to that of collisionally activated protein complexes. Overall, it appears that MD simulations represent a valuable tool for deciphering the dissociation of noncovalently bound systems in the gas phase. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Catching a virus in a molecular net

A metal-organic molecular net composed of tannic acid (TA) and iron(iii) was constructed around the brome mosaic virus (BMV) particle to determine whether the added net could act as a transport barrier for water, and if the net could stabilize the virus in physically or chemically challenging environments. This new virus engineering strategy is expected to provide benefits both in the study and technological applications of viruses. For instance, a virus wrapped in a thin molecular layer could be extracted from solution either in air or vacuum, and its structure, composition and even internal dynamics could be interrogated by methods not compatible with a liquid environment. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of Fe(iii)-TA coated BMV in liquid and in air supported a marked resistance to dehydration when compared to wtBMV. Native charge detection mass spectrometry (CDMS), was employed to estimate the number of molecules in the molecular net which wrapped the virus. The CDMS data suggested that less than one molecular monolayer wrapped the virus. Additionally, it was found, that this very thin molecular coat was sufficient to render the coated viruses resistant to storage conditions that typically lead to virus disassembly over time. A temporary coat imparting increased resistance to disassembly could be useful in adding time delay control or alleviate required storage conditions of engineered viruses for therapeutic purposes.

Towards the Analysis of High Molecular Weight Proteins and Protein complexes using TIMS-MS

In the present work, we demonstrate the potential and versatility of TIMS for the analysis of proteins, DNA-protein complexes and protein-protein complexes in their native and denatured states. In addition, we show that accurate CCS measurement are possible and in good agreement with previously reported CCS values using other IMS analyzers (<5% difference). The main challenges for the analysis of high mass proteins and protein complexes in the mobility and m/z domain are described. That is, the analysis of high molecular weight systems in their native state may require the use of higher electric fields or a compromise in the TIMS mobility resolution by reducing the bath gas velocity in order to effectively trap at lower electric fields. This is the first report of CCS measurements of high molecular weight biomolecules and biomolecular complexes (~ 150 kDa) using TIMS-MS.

Folding of Protein Ions in the Gas Phase after Cation-to-Anion Proton-Transfer Reactions

The structure and folding of a protein in solution depends on noncovalent interactions within the protein and those with surrounding ions and molecules. Decoupling these interactions in solution is challenging, which has hindered the development of accurate physics-based models for structure prediction. Investigations of proteins in the gas phase can be used to selectively decouple factors affecting the structures of proteins. Here, we use cation-to-anion proton-transfer reactions (CAPTR) to reduce the charge states of denatured ubiquitin ions in the gas phase, and ion mobility to probe their structures. In CAPTR, a precursor charge state is selected (P) and reacted with monoanions to generate charge-reduced product ions (C). Following each CAPTR event, denatured ubiquitin ions (13+ to 6+) yield products that rapidly isomerize to structures that have smaller collision cross sections (Ω). The Ω values of CAPTR product ions depend strongly on C and very weakly on P. Pre- and post-CAPTR activation was then used to probe the potential-energy surfaces of the precursor and product ions, respectively. Post-CAPTR activation showed that ions of different P fold differently and populate different regions of the potential-energy surface of that ion. Finally, pre-CAPTR activation showed that the structures of protein ions can be indirectly investigated using ion mobility of their CAPTR product ions, even for subtle structural differences that are not apparent from ion mobility characterization of the activated precursor ions. More generally, these results show that CAPTR strongly complements existing techniques for characterizing the structures and dynamics of biological molecules in the gas phase.

Infrared Laser Activation of Soluble and Membrane Protein Assemblies in the Gas Phase

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) is the dominant method for probing intact macromolecular complexes in the gas phase by means of mass spectrometry (MS). The energy obtained from collisional activation is dependent on the charge state of the ion and the pressures and potentials within the instrument: these factors limit CID capability. Activation by infrared (IR) laser radiation offers an attractive alternative as the radiation energy absorbed by the ions is charge-state-independent and the intensity and time scale of activation is controlled by a laser source external to the mass spectrometer. Here we implement and apply IR activation, in different irradiation regimes, to study both soluble and membrane protein assemblies. We show that IR activation using high-intensity pulsed lasers is faster than collisional and radiative cooling and requires much lower energy than continuous IR irradiation. We demonstrate that IR activation is an effective means for studying membrane protein assemblies, and liberate an intact V-type ATPase complex from detergent micelles, a result that cannot be achieved by means of CID using standard collision energies. Notably, we find that IR activation can be sufficiently soft to retain specific lipids bound to the complex. We further demonstrate that, by applying a combination of collisional activation, mass selection, and IR activation of the liberated complex, we can elucidate subunit stoichiometry and the masses of specifically bound lipids in a single MS experiment.

Cryogenic Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry: Tracking Ion Structure from Solution to the Gas Phase

Electrospray ionization (ESI) combined with ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is adding new dimensions, that is, structure and dynamics, to the field of biological mass spectrometry. There is increasing evidence that gas-phase ions produced by ESI can closely resemble their solution-phase structures, but correlating these structures can be complicated owing to the number of competing effects contributing to structural preferences, including both inter- and intramolecular interactions. Ions encounter unique hydration environments during the transition from solution to the gas phase that will likely affect their structure(s), but many of these structural changes will go undetected because ESI-IM-MS analysis is typically performed on solvent-free ions. Cryogenic ion mobility-mass spectrometry (cryo-IM-MS) takes advantage of the freeze-drying capabilities of ESI and a cryogenically cooled IM drift cell (80 K) to preserve extensively solvated ions of the type [M + xH](x+)(H2O)n, where n can vary from zero to several hundred. This affords an experimental approach for tracking the structural evolution of hydrated biomolecules en route to forming solvent-free gas-phase ions. The studies highlighted in this Account illustrate the varying extent to which dehydration can alter ion structure and the overall impact of cryo-IM-MS on structural studies of hydrated biomolecules. Studies of small ions, including protonated water clusters and alkyl diammonium cations, reveal structural transitions associated with the development of the H-bond network of water molecules surrounding the charge carrier(s). For peptide ions, results show that water networks are highly dependent on the charge-carrying species within the cluster. Specifically, hydrated peptide ions containing lysine display specific hydration behavior around the ammonium ion, that is, magic number clusters with enhanced stability, whereas peptides containing arginine do not display specific hydration around the guanidinium ion. Studies on the neuropeptide substance P illustrate the ability of cryo-IM-MS to elucidate information about heterogeneous ion populations. Results show that a kinetically trapped conformer is stabilized by a combination of hydration and specific intramolecular interactions, but upon dehydration, this conformer rearranges to form a thermodynamically favored gas-phase ion conformation. Finally, recent studies on hydration of the protein ubiquitin reveal water-mediated dimerization, thereby illustrating the extension of this approach to studies of large biomolecules. Collectively, these studies illustrate a new dimension to studies of biomolecules, resulting from the ability to monitor snapshots of the structural evolution of ions during the transition from solution to gas phase and provide unparalleled insights into the intricate interplay between competing effects that dictate conformational preferences.

Mass spectrometry locates local and allosteric conformational changes that occur on cofactor binding

Fdc1 is a decarboxylase enzyme that requires the novel prenylated FMN cofactor for activity. Here, we use it as an exemplar system to show how native top-down and bottom-up mass spectrometry can measure the structural effect of cofactor binding by a protein. For Fdc1(Ubix), the cofactor confers structural stability to the enzyme. IM-MS shows the holo protein to exist in four closely related conformational families, the populations of which differ in the apo form; the two smaller families are more populated in the presence of the cofactor and depopulated in its absence. These findings, supported by MD simulations, indicate a more open structure for the apo form. HDX-MS reveals that while the dominant structural changes occur proximal to the cofactor-binding site, rearrangements on cofactor binding are evident throughout the protein, predominantly attributable to allosteric conformational tightening, consistent with IM-MS data.

Salt Bridge Rearrangement (SaBRe) Explains the Dissociation Behavior of Noncovalent Complexes

Native electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, with gas-phase activation and solution compositions that partially release subcomplexes, can elucidate topologies of macromolecular assemblies. That so much complexity can be preserved in gas-phase assemblies is remarkable, although a long-standing conundrum has been the differences between their gas- and solution-phase decompositions. Collision-induced dissociation of multimeric noncovalent complexes typically distributes products asymmetrically (i.e., by ejecting a single subunit bearing a large percentage of the excess charge). That unexpected behavior has been rationalized as one subunit "unfolding" to depart with more charge. We present an alternative explanation based on heterolytic ion-pair scission and rearrangement, a mechanism that inherently partitions charge asymmetrically. Excessive barriers to dissociation are circumvented in this manner, when local charge rearrangements access a lower-barrier surface. An implication of this ion pair consideration is that stability differences between high- and low-charge state ions usually attributed to Coulomb repulsion may, alternatively, be conveyed by attractive forces from ion pairs (salt bridges) stabilizing low-charge state ions. Should the number of ion pairs be roughly inversely related to charge, symmetric dissociations would be favored from highly charged complexes, as observed. Correlations between a gas-phase protein's size and charge reflect the quantity of restraining ion pairs. Collisionally-facilitated salt bridge rearrangement (SaBRe) may explain unusual size "contractions" seen for some activated, low charge state complexes. That some low-charged multimers preferentially cleave covalent bonds or shed small ions to disrupting noncovalent associations is also explained by greater ion pairing in low charge state complexes. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Low Charge and Reduced Mobility of Membrane Protein Complexes Has Implications for Calibration of Collision Cross Section Measurements

Ion mobility mass spectrometry of integral membrane proteins provides valuable insights into their architecture and stability. Here we show that, due to their lower charge, the average mobility of native-like membrane protein ions is approximately 30% lower than that of soluble proteins of similar mass. This has implications for drift time measurements, made on traveling wave ion mobility mass spectrometers, which have to be calibrated to extract collision cross sections (Ω). Common calibration strategies employ unfolded or native-like soluble protein standards with masses and mobilities comparable to the protein of interest. We compare Ω values for membrane proteins, derived from standard calibration protocols using soluble proteins, to values measured using an RF-confined drift tube. Our results demonstrate that, while common calibration methods underestimate Ω for native-like or unfolded membrane protein complexes, higher mass soluble calibration standards consistently yield more accurate Ω values. These findings enable us to obtain directly structural information for highly charge-reduced complexes by traveling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry.

Fundamentals of Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry Part II: Fluid Dynamics

Trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) is a new high resolution (R up to ~300) separation technique that utilizes an electric field to hold ions stationary against a moving gas. Recently, an analytical model for TIMS was derived and, in part, experimentally verified. A central, but not yet fully explored, component of the model involves the fluid dynamics at work. The present study characterizes the fluid dynamics in TIMS using simulations and ion mobility experiments. Results indicate that subsonic laminar flow develops in the analyzer, with pressure-dependent gas velocities between ~120 and 170 m/s measured at the position of ion elution. One of the key philosophical questions addressed is: how can mobility be measured in a dynamic system wherein the gas is expanding and its velocity is changing? We noted previously that the analytically useful work is primarily done on ions as they traverse the electric field gradient plateau in the analyzer. In the present work, we show that the position-dependent change in gas velocity on the plateau is balanced by a change in pressure and temperature, ultimately resulting in near position-independent drag force. That the drag force, and related variables, are nearly constant allows for the use of relatively simple equations to describe TIMS behavior. Nonetheless, we derive a more comprehensive model, which accounts for the spatial dependence of the flow variables. Experimental resolving power trends were found to be in close agreement with the theoretical dependence of the drag force, thus validating another principal component of TIMS theory.

A simple heated-capillary modification improves the analysis of non-covalent complexes by Z-spray electrospray ionization

RATIONALE

The observation of intact non-covalent complexes by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) hinges on the ability to minimize in-source activation processes that take place during analyte desolvation. We explored the merits of replacing the sampling cone of a standard Z-spray source with a heated capillary that makes the desolvation process slower and more gradual. We employed well-characterized protein-RNA, RNA-RNA, and DNA-DNA assemblies to compare the alternative configurations.

METHODS

Mass analysis evaluated the integrity of the complexes, whereas traveling wave ion mobility experiments assessed the stability of biomolecular structure. Analyses were performed back-to-back on the same samples on a Synapt G2 HDMS equipped with either the standard sampling cone or the heated-capillary apparatus. In each configuration, the source/capillary temperature was varied in controlled fashion, while keeping all other desolvation parameters constant to monitor the in-source dissociation of selected DNA duplexes. Ion mobility data were obtained from the same precursor by using the alternative configurations under the same settings.

RESULTS

Monitoring the percentage of associated complex demonstrated that the heated capillary provided softer desolvation that was more conducive to the detection of intact non-covalent interactions. This configuration failed to produce complete dissociation of 14 bp and 24 bp duplexes, even when the source/capillary temperature was increased well above their solution melting points. Analyzed by IMS-MS, a selected construct displayed just one conformation with the heated capillary, but two with the standard sampling cone.

CONCLUSIONS

The heated capillary minimizes in-source activation processes that can lead to unintended dissociation of complexes and perturbation of biomolecular structure, which rely on the integrity of non-covalent interactions. This effect can be attributed to the attenuation of the supersonic expansion typical of the Z-spray geometry and the greater ability to control the energy imparted to the system. This hardware modification will be expected to benefit the analysis of biomolecular structure performed on this particular instrumental platform.

Gated Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry Coupled to Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Analysis of molecules by ion mobility spectrometry coupled with mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) provides chemical information on the three dimensional structure and mass of the molecules. The coupling of ion mobility to trapping mass spectrometers has historically been challenging due to the large differences in analysis time between the two devices. In this paper we present a modification of the trapped ion mobility (TIMS) analysis scheme termed "Gated TIMS" that allows efficient coupling to a Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR) analyzer. Analyses of standard compounds and the influence of source conditions on the TIMS distributions produced by ion mobility spectra of labile ubiquitin protein ions are presented. Ion mobility resolving powers up to 100 are observed. Measured collisional cross sections of ubiquitin ions are in excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement to previous measurements. Gated TIMS FT-ICR produces results comparable to those acquired using TIMS/time-of-flight MS instrument platforms as well as numerous drift tube IMS-MS studies published in the literature.

Use of a charge reducing agent to enable intact mass analysis of cysteine-linked antibody-drug-conjugates by native mass spectrometry

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The use of nESI-MS to examine intact Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC).

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Use of TEAA as charge reducing agent improves cysteine-linked ADC characterization.

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TEAA preserves the intact mAb and facilitate easy drug load determination by native MS.

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This method is particularly beneficial for users of low resolution mass spectrometers.

Antibody-drug-conjugates (ADC) are a growing class of anticancer biopharmaceuticals. Conjugation of cysteine linked ADCs, requires initial reduction of mAb inter-chain disulfide bonds, as the drugs are attached via thiol chemistry. This results in the active mAb moiety being transformed from a covalently linked tetramer to non-covalently linked complexes, which hinders precise determination of drug load with LC–MS. Here, we show how the addition of the charge reducing agent triethylammonium acetate (TEAA) preserves the intact mAb structure, is well suited to the study of cysteine linked conjugates and facilitates easy drug load determination by direct infusion native MS.

Gas molecule scattering & ion mobility measurements for organic macro-ions in He versus N2 environments

A pending issue in linking ion mobility measurements to ion structures is that the collisional cross section (CCS, the measured structural parameter in ion mobility spectrometry) of an ion is strongly dependent upon the manner in which gas molecules effectively impinge on and are reemitted from ion surfaces (when modeling ions as fixed structures). To directly examine the gas molecule impingement and reemission processes and their influence, we measured the CCSs of positively charged ions of room temperature ionic liquids 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide (EMIM-N(CN)2) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIM-BF4) in N2 using a differential mobility analyzer-mass spectrometer (DMA-MS) and in He using a drift tube mobility spectrometer-mass spectrometer (DT-MS). Cluster ions, generated via electrosprays, took the form (AB)N(A)z, spanning up to z = 20 and with masses greater than 100 kDa. As confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations, at the measurement temperature (∼300 K), such cluster ions took on globular conformations in the gas phase. Based upon their attained charge levels, in neither He nor N2 did the ion-induced dipole potential significantly influence gas molecule-ion collisions. Therefore, differences in the CCSs measured for ions in the two different gases could be primarily attributed to differences in gas molecule behavior upon collision with ions. Overwhelmingly, by comparison of predicted CCSs with selected input impingement-reemission laws to measurements, we find that in N2, gas molecules collide with ions diffusely--they are reemitted at random angles relative to the gas molecule incoming angle--and inelastically. Meanwhile, in He, gas molecules collide specularly and elastically and are emitted from ion surfaces at determined angles. The results can be rationalized on the basis of the momentum transferred per collision; in the case of He, individual gas molecule collisions minimally perturb the atoms within a cluster ion (internal motion), while in the case of N2, individual gas molecules have sufficiently large momentum to alter the internal motion in organic ions.

Cutting-edge mass spectrometry methods for the multi-level structural characterization of antibody-drug conjugates

Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are highly cytotoxic drugs covalently attached via conditionally stable linkers to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and are among the most promising next-generation empowered biologics for cancer treatment. ADCs are more complex than naked mAbs, as the heterogeneity of the conjugates adds to the inherent microvariability of the biomolecules. The development and optimization of ADCs rely on improving their analytical and bioanalytical characterization by assessing several critical quality attributes, namely the distribution and position of the drug, the amount of naked antibody, the average drug to antibody ratio, and the residual drug-linker and related product proportions. Here brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) and trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla), the first and gold-standard hinge-cysteine and lysine drug conjugates, respectively, were chosen to develop new mass spectrometry (MS) methods and to improve multiple-level structural assessment protocols.

Charge site assignment in native proteins by ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) mass spectrometry

Characterization of all gas-phase charge sites of natively sprayed proteins and peptides is demonstrated using 193 nm UVPD. The high sequence coverage offered by UVPD is exploited for the accurate determination of charge sites in protein systems up to 18 kDa, allowing charge site to be studied as a function of protein conformation and the presence of disulfide bonds. Charging protons are found on both basic sidechains and on the amide backbone of less basic amino acids such as serine, glutamine, and proline. UVPD analysis was performed on the 3+ charge state of melittin, the 5+ to 8+ charge states of ubiquitin, and the 8+ charge state of reduced and oxidized β-lactoglobulin. The location of charges in gas-phase proteins is known to impact structure; molecular modeling of different charge site motifs of 3+ melittin demonstrates how placement of protons in simulations can dramatically impact the predicted structure of the molecule. The location of positive charge sites in ubiquitin and β-lactoglobulin are additionally found to depend on the presence or absence of salt-bridges, columbic repulsion across the length of the peptide, and protein conformation. Charge site isomers are demonstrated for ubiquitin and β-lactoglobulin but found to be much less numerous than previously predicted.

Protein Structural Studies by Traveling Wave Ion Mobility Spectrometry: A Critical Look at Electrospray Sources and Calibration Issues

The question whether electrosprayed protein ions retain solution-like conformations continues to be a matter of debate. One way to address this issue involves comparisons of collision cross sections (Ω) measured by ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) with Ω values calculated for candidate structures. Many investigations in this area employ traveling wave IMS (TWIMS). It is often implied that nanoESI is more conducive for the retention of solution structure than regular ESI. Focusing on ubiquitin, cytochrome c, myoglobin, and hemoglobin, we demonstrate that Ω values and collisional unfolding profiles are virtually indistinguishable under both conditions. These findings suggest that gas-phase structures and ion internal energies are independent of the type of electrospray source. We also note that TWIMS calibration can be challenging because differences in the extent of collisional activation relative to drift tube reference data may lead to ambiguous peak assignments. It is demonstrated that this problem can be circumvented by employing collisionally heated calibrant ions. Overall, our data are consistent with the view that exposure of native proteins to electrospray conditions can generate kinetically trapped ions that retain solution-like structures on the millisecond time scale of TWIMS experiments. ᅟ

Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry Reveals Highly-Compact Intermediates in the Collision Induced Dissociation of Charge-Reduced Protein Complexes

Protocols that aim to construct complete models of multiprotein complexes based on ion mobility and mass spectrometry data are becoming an important element of integrative structural biology efforts. However, the usefulness of such data is predicated, in part, on an ability to measure individual subunits removed from the complex while maintaining a compact/folded state. Gas-phase dissociation of intact complexes using collision induced dissociation is a potentially promising pathway for acquiring such protein monomer size information, but most product ions produced are possessed of high charge states and elongated/string-like conformations that are not useful in protein complex modeling. It has previously been demonstrated that the collision induced dissociation of charge-reduced protein complexes can produce compact subunit product ions; however, their formation mechanism is not well understood. Here, we present new experimental evidence for the avidin (64 kDa) and aldolase (157 kDa) tetramers that demonstrates significant complex remodeling during the dissociation of charge-reduced assemblies. Detailed analysis and modeling indicates that highly compact intermediates are accessed during the dissociation process by both complexes. Here, we present putative pathways that describe the formation of such ions, as well as discuss the broader significance of such data for structural biology applications moving forward.

The fragment molecular orbital method combined with density-functional tight-binding and the polarizable continuum model

The electronic gap in proteins is analyzed in detail, and it is shown that FMO-DFTB/PCM is efficient and accurate in describing the molecular structure of proteins in solution.