Ion trap collisional activation of disulfide linkage intact and reduced multiply protonated polypeptides

Top-Down Charge Transfer Dissociation (CTD) of Gas-Phase Insulin: Evidence of a One-Step, Two-Electron Oxidation Mechanism

Top-down analyses of protonated insulin cations of charge states of 4+, 5+, or 6+ were performed by exposing the isolated precursor ions to a beam of helium cations with kinetic energy of more than 6 keV, in a technique termed charge transfer dissociation (CTD). The ~100 ms charge transfer reaction resulted in approximately 20% conversion efficiency to other intact charge exchange products (CTnoD), and a range of low abundance fragment ions. To increase backbone and sulfide cleavages, and to provide better structural information than straightforward MS2 CTD, the CTnoD oxidized products were isolated and subjected to collisional activation at the MS3 level. The MS3 CTD/CID reaction effectively broke the disulfide linkages, separated the two chains, and yielded more structurally informative fragment ions within the inter-chain cyclic region. CTD also provided doubly oxidized intact product ions at the MS2 level, and resonance ejection of the singly oxidized product ion revealed that the doubly oxidized product originates directly from the isolated precursor ion and not from consecutive CTD reactions of a singly oxidized intermediate. MS4 experiments were employed to help identify potential radical cations and diradical cations, but the results were negative or inconclusive. Nonetheless, the two-electron oxidation process is a demonstration of the very large potential energy (>20 eV) available through CTD, and is a notable capability for a 3D ion trap platform. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Gas-Phase Oxidation via Ion/Ion Reactions: Pathways and Applications

Here, we provide an overview of pathways available upon the gas-phase oxidation of peptides and DNA via ion/ion reactions and explore potential applications of these chemistries. The oxidation of thioethers (i.e., methionine residues and S-alkyl cysteine residues), disulfide bonds, S-nitrosylated cysteine residues, and DNA to the [M+H+O]+ derivative via ion/ion reactions with periodate and peroxymono-sulfate anions is demonstrated. The oxidation of neutral basic sites to various oxidized structures, including the [M+H+O]+, [M-H]+, and [M-H-NH3]+ species, via ion/ion reactions is illustrated and the oxidation characteristics of two different oxidizing reagents, periodate and persulfate anions, are compared. Lastly, the highly efficient generation of molecular radical cations via ion/ion reactions with sulfate radical anion is summarized. Activation of the newly generated molecular radical peptide cations results in losses of various neutral side chains, several of which generate dehydroalanine residues that can be used to localize the amino acid from which the dehydroalanine was generated. The chemistries presented herein result in a diverse range of structures that can be used for a variety of applications, including the identification and localization of S-alkyl cysteine residues, the oxidative cleavage of disulfide bonds, and the generation of molecular radical cations from even-electron doubly protonated peptides. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Redox regulation of ATP sulfurylase in microalgae

ATP sulfurylase (ATPS) catalyzes the first step of sulfur assimilation in photosynthetic organisms. An ATPS type A is mostly present in freshwater cyanobacteria, with four conserved cysteine residues. Oceanic cyanobacteria and most eukaryotic algae instead, possess an ATPS-B containing seven to ten cysteines; five of them are conserved, but only one in the same position as ATPS-A. We investigated the role of cysteines on the regulation of the different algal enzymes. We found that the activity of ATPS-B from four different microorganisms was enhanced when reduced and decreased when oxidized. The LC-MS/MS analysis of the ATPS-B from the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana showed that the residue Cys-247 was presumably involved in the redox regulation. The absence of this residue in the ATPS-A of the freshwater cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. instead, was consistent with its lack of regulation. Some other conserved cysteine residues in the ATPS from T. pseduonana and not in Synechocystis sp.were accessible to redox agents and possibly play a role in the enzyme regulation. Furthermore, the fact that oceanic cyanobacteria have ATPS-B structurally and functionally closer to that from most of eukaryotic algae than to the ATPS-A from other cyanobacteria suggests that life in the sea or freshwater may have driven the evolution of ATPS.

Selective Gas-Phase Ion/Ion Reactions: Enabling Disulfide Mapping via Oxidation and Cleavage of Disulfide Bonds in Intermolecularly-Linked Polypeptide Ions

The selective gas-phase oxidation of disulfide bonds to their thiosulfinate form using ion/ion reactions and subsequent cleavage is demonstrated here. Oxidizing reagent anions are observed to attach to all polypeptides, regardless of amino acid composition. Direct proton transfer yielding a charge-reduced peptide is also frequently observed. Activation of the ion/ion complex between an oxidizing reagent anion and a disulfide-containing peptide cation results in oxygen transfer from the reagent anion to the peptide cation to form the [M+H+O](+) species. This thiosulfinate derivative can undergo one of several rearrangements that result in cleavage of the disulfide bond. Species containing an intermolecular disulfide bond undergo separation of the two chains upon activation. Further activation can be used to generate more sequence information from each chain. These oxidation ion/ion reactions have been used to illustrate the identification of S-glutathionylated and S-cysteinylated peptides, in which low molecular weight thiols are attached to cysteine residues in peptides via disulfide bonds. The oxidation chemistry effectively labels peptide ions with readily oxidized groups, such as disulfide bonds. This enables a screening approach for the identification of disulfide-linked peptides in a disulfide mapping application involving enzymatic digestion. The mixtures of ions generated by tryptic and peptic digestions of lysozyme and insulin, respectively, without prior separation or isolation were subjected both to oxidation and proton transfer ion/ion chemistry to illustrate the identification of peptides in the mixtures with readily oxidized groups.

Mechanisms and energetics of free radical initiated disulfide bond cleavage in model peptides and insulin by mass spectrometry

Direct radical substitution at sulfur initiates disulfide bond cleavage by hydrogen-deficient radicals in peptides and proteins.

We investigate the mechanism of disulfide bond cleavage in gaseous peptide and protein ions initiated by a covalently-attached regiospecific acetyl radical using mass spectrometry (MS). Highly selective S–S bond cleavages with some minor C–S bond cleavages are observed by a single step of collisional activation. We show that even multiple disulfide bonds in intact bovine insulin are fragmented in the MS2 stage, releasing the A- and B-chains with a high yield, which has been challenging to achieve by other ion activation methods. Yet, regardless of the previous reaction mechanism studies, it has remained unclear why (1) disulfide bond cleavage is preferred to peptide backbone fragmentation, and why (2) the S–S bond that requires the higher activation energy conjectured in previously suggested mechanisms is more prone to be cleaved than the C–S bond by hydrogen-deficient radicals. To probe the mechanism of these processes, model peptides possessing deuterated β-carbon(s) at the disulfide bond are employed. It is suggested that the favored pathway of S–S bond cleavage is triggered by direct acetyl radical attack at sulfur with concomitant cleavage of the S–S bond (S_H2). The activation energy for this process is substantially lower by ∼9–10 kcal mol^–1 than those of peptide backbone cleavage processes determined by density functional quantum chemical calculations. Minor reaction pathways are initiated by hydrogen abstraction from the α-carbon or the β-carbon of a disulfide, followed by β-cleavages yielding C–S or S–S bond scissions. The current mechanistic findings should be generally applicable to other radical-driven disulfide bond cleavages with different radical species such as the benzyl and methyl pyridyl radicals.

Direct sequencing of a disulfide-linked peptide with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Enhanced corona discharge was employed for in-spray dissociation of disulfide bonds, facilitating disulfide-containing peptide sequencing with ESI-MS/MS.

Increased disulfide peptide sequence coverage via “cleavage ON/OFF” switch during nanoelectrospray

Disulfide peptide sequence coverage could be increased via switching “cleavage ON/OFF” modes between conventional and induced nanoelectrospray MS within 1 min.

Does Electron Capture Dissociation Cleave Protein Disulfide Bonds?

Peptide and protein characterization by mass spectrometry (MS) relies on their dissociation in the gas phase into specific fragments whose mass values can be aligned as 'mass ladders' to provide sequence information and to localize possible post-translational modifications. The most common dissociation method involves slow heating of even-electron (M+nH) ⁿ⁺ ions from electrospray ionization by energetic collisions with inert gas, and cleavage of amide backbone bonds. More recently, dissociation methods based on electron capture or transfer were found to provide far more extensive sequence coverage through unselective cleavage of backbone N-Cα bonds. As another important feature of electron capture dissociation (ECD) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD), their unique unimolecular radical ion chemistry generally preserves labile posttranslational modifications such as glycosylation and phosphorylation. Moreover, it was postulated that disulfide bond cleavage is preferred over backbone cleavage, and that capture of a single electron can break both a backbone and a disulfide bond, or even two disulfide bonds between two peptide chains. However, the proposal of preferential disulfide bond cleavage in ECD or ETD has recently been debated. The experimental data presented here reveal that the mechanism of protein disulfide bond cleavage is much more intricate than previously anticipated.

Dissociation Behavior of Tryptic and Intramolecular Disulfide-linked Peptide Ions Modified in the Gas Phase via Ion/Ion Reactions

Protonated tryptic peptides, somatostatin-14, and oxytocin have been subjected to reactions with doubly deprotonated 4-formyl-1,3-benzenedisulfonic acid (FBDSA) in the gas phase. The major product is a negatively-charged complex comprised of the peptide and the reagent. Upon dehydration of the complex, all peptides show evidence for Schiff base formation involving a primary amine of the peptide. Some peptides also show evidence for the formation of a relatively strong electrostatic interaction without Schiff base formation (i.e., a mixture of isomeric precursor ions is generated upon dehydration of the complex). Ion trap collision-induced dissociation of the dehydration products from all peptides examined gave distinct product ion spectra relative to the deprotonated and protonated forms of the peptides. The distinct behavior of the modified ions is attributed to the highly stable charge carrying sulfonate group, which tends to inhibit intramolecular proton transfer in negatively charged species. Modified anions of the peptides with an intramolecular disulfide linkage show evidence for cleavage of both the disulfide linkage and an amide bond in the loop defined by the disulfide bond. Modification of protonated peptides via charge inversion with FBDSA is a useful means for generating novel and distinct ion-types that can provide complementary structural information upon subsequent activation to that obtained from dissociation of protonated or deprotonated forms of the peptide.

Charge state dependent top-down characterisation using electron transfer dissociation

The dissociation of protein ions (5-30  kDa) as a function of charge state has been explored in order to suggest the optimal charge state range for top-down sequencing. Proteins were generated under denaturing conditions and their charge states were modified via ion/ion proton transfer reactions prior to dissociation. Electron transfer dissociation (ETD) data suggested optimal sequence coverage for charge states in the m/z range from 700 to 950 while limited sequence coverage was noted when the precursor m/z was above 1000. Sequence coverage from ETD data was found to be dependent on protein size, with smaller proteins having better sequence coverage. An observed depletion in sequence-related information was mainly attributed to limited instrument (ion trap) performance (m/z range and resolution). For a combined ETD/collision-induced dissociation (CID) approach it is difficult to propose an optimal m/z range since good sequence coverage for CID is at intermediate charge states and the optimal m/z range increases with protein size. When only one charge state can be analysed in a combined ETD/CID approach, a range around 950  m/z is suggested as a starting point. Alternatively, two charge states should be explored, each optimal for either ETD or CID. Overall, these suggestions should be useful to achieve enhanced characterisation of smaller proteins/large protein fragments (generated from denaturing solutions) in minimal analysis times.

A pseudo MS3 approach for identification of disulfide-bonded proteins: uncommon product ions and database search

It has previously been reported that disulfide and backbone bonds of native intact proteins can be concurrently cleaved using electrospray ionization (ESI) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). However, the cleavages of disulfide bonds result in different cysteine modifications in product ions, making it difficult to identify the disulfide-bonded proteins via database search. To solve this identification problem, we have developed a pseudo MS(3) approach by combining nozzle-skimmer dissociation (NSD) and CID on a quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer using chicken lysozyme as a model. Although many of the product ions were similar to those typically seen in MS/MS spectra of enzymatically derived peptides, additional uncommon product ions were detected including c(i-1) ions (the i(th) residue being aspartic acid, arginine, lysine and dehydroalanine) as well as those from a scrambled sequence. The formation of these uncommon types of product ions, likely caused by the lack of mobile protons, were proposed to involve bond rearrangements via a six-membered ring transition state and/or salt bridge(s). A search of 20 pseudo MS(3) spectra against the Gallus gallus (chicken) database using Batch-Tag, a program originally designed for bottom up MS/MS analysis, identified chicken lysozyme as the only hit with the expectation values less than 0.02 for 12 of the spectra. The pseudo MS(3) approach may help to identify disulfide-bonded proteins and determine the associated post-translational modifications (PTMs); the confidence in the identification may be improved by incorporating the fragmentation characteristics into currently available search programs.

Electron detachment dissociation and negative ion infrared multiphoton dissociation of electrosprayed intact proteins

In top-down proteomics, intact gaseous proteins are fragmented in a mass spectrometer by, e.g., electron capture dissociation (ECD) to obtain structural information. By far, most top-down approaches involve dissociation of protein cations. However, in electrospray ionization of phosphoproteins, the high acidity of phosphate may contribute to the formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds or salt bridges, which influence subsequent fragmentation behavior. Other acidic proteins or proteins with regions containing multiple acidic residues may also be affected similarly. Negative ion mode, on the other hand, may enhance deprotonation and unfolding of multiply phosphorylated or highly acidic protein regions. Here, activated ion electron detachment dissociation (AI-EDD) and negative ion infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) were employed to investigate the fragmentation of intact proteins, including multiply phosphorylated β-casein, calmodulin, and glycosylated ribonuclease B. Compared to AI-ECD and positive ion IRMPD, AI-EDD and negative ion IRMPD provide complementary protein sequence information, particularly in regions with high acidity, including the multiply phosphorylated region of β-casein.

Cleavage of Multiple Disulfide Bonds in Insulin via Gold Cationization and Collision-induced Dissociation

Intact bovine insulin, with its two chains linked via two disulfide linkages, has been used as a model system to study the incorporation of one or more gold cations as means for facilitating the cleavage of multiple disulfide bonds in a tandem mass spectrometry experiment. Gas-phase ion/ion reactions involving Au(I)Cl(2) (-) or Au(III)Cl(4) (-) were used to incorporate either one or two gold cations into multiply-protonated insulin cations, followed by ion trap collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the products. The incorporation of a single gold cation followed by CID showed little evidence for disulfide bond cleavage. Rather, the CID spectra were similar to those acquired for the same charge state with only excess protons present. However, the incorporation of two gold cations, regardless of oxidation state, resulted in efficient cleavage of the disulfide bonds connecting the two chains of insulin. Furthermore, ion trap CID of the insulin complexes containing two gold cations showed more sequence information compared to the complexes containing only one gold cation or no gold cations. The partitioning of the gold cations between the two chains upon CID proved to be largely asymmetric, as both gold cations tended to stay together. There appeared to be a slight preference for both gold cations to partition into the B-chain. However, the relatively low contribution from single chain ions with only one gold ion suggests a degree of cooperativity in the overall mechanism for separation of the two chains.

Disulfide bond cleavage in TEMPO-free radical initiated peptide sequencing mass spectrometry

The gas-phase free radical initiated peptide sequencing (FRIPS) fragmentation behavior of o-TEMPO-Bz-conjugated peptides with an intra- and intermolecular disulfide bond was investigated using MS(n) tandem mass spectrometry experiments. Investigated peptides included four peptides with an intramolecular cyclic disulfide bond, Bactenecin (RLCRIVVIRVCR), TGF-α (CHSGYVGVRC), MCH (DFDMLRCMLGRVFRPCWQY) and Adrenomedullin (16-31) (CRFGTCTVQKLAHQIY), and two peptides with an intermolecular disulfide bond. Collisional activation of the benzyl radical conjugated peptide cation, which was generated through the release of a TEMPO radical from o-TEMPO-Bz-conjugated peptides upon initial collisional activation, produced a large number of peptide backbone fragments in which the S-S or C-S bond was readily cleaved. The observed peptide backbone fragments included a-, c-, x- or z-types, which indicates that the radical-driven peptide fragmentation mechanism plays an important role in TEMPO-FRIPS mass spectrometry. FRIPS application of the linearly linked disulfide peptides further showed that the S-S or C-S bond was selectively and preferentially cleaved, followed by peptide backbone dissociations. In the FRIPS mass spectra, the loss of •SH or •SSH was also abundantly found. On the basis of these findings, FRIPS fragmentation pathways for peptides with a disulfide bond are proposed. For the cleavage of the S-S bond, the abstraction of a hydrogen atom at C(β) by the benzyl radical is proposed to be the initial radical abstraction/transfer reaction. On the other hand, H-abstraction at C(α) is suggested to lead to C-S bond cleavage, which yields [ion ± S] fragments or the loss of •SH or •SSH.

Proton transfer reactions for improved peptide characterisation

The combination of deprotonation (via ion/molecule and ion/ion reactions) and low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) has been explored for the enhanced characterisation of tryptic peptides via access to different precursor charge states. This approach allows instant access to fragmentation properties of singly and doubly protonated precursors (arising from the availability of mobile protons) in a single experiment. Considering both charge states extended our base of structurally informative data (in comparison with considering just a single charge state) due to generation of additional sequence ions and by obtaining supplementary structural information derived from selective cleavages. Roughly 37% of combined data sets (CID spectra of doubly and singly charged precursor) showed a greater database identification confidence than each set alone. Moreover, comparison between a number of sequence ions of the singly charged precursor and the doubly charged precursor provided a mean of distinguishing the two classes of tryptic peptides (arginine or lysine containing).

Dissociation of disulfide-intact somatostatin ions: the roles of ion type and dissociation method

The dissociation chemistry of somatostatin-14 was examined using various tandem mass spectrometry techniques including low-energy beam-type and ion trap collision-induced dissociation (CID) of protonated and deprotonated forms of the peptide, CID of peptide-gold complexes, and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) of cations. Most of the sequence of somatostatin-14 is present within a loop defined by the disulfide linkage between Cys-3 and Cys-14. The generation of readily interpretable sequence-related ions from within the loop requires the cleavage of at least one of the bonds of the disulfide linkage and the cleavage of one polypeptide backbone bond. CID of the protonated forms of somatostatin did not appear to give rise to an appreciable degree of dissociation of the disulfide linkage. Sequential fragmentation via multiple alternative pathways tended to generate very complex spectra. CID of the anions proceeded through CH(2)-S cleavages extensively but relatively few structurally diagnostic ions were generated. The incorporation of Au(I) into the molecule via ion/ion reactions followed by CID gave rise to many structurally relevant dissociation products, particularly for the [M+Au+H](2+) species. The products were generated by a combination of S-S bond cleavage and amide bond cleavage. ETD of the [M+3H](3+) ion generated rich sequence information, as did CID of the electron transfer products that did not fragment directly upon electron transfer. The electron transfer results suggest that both the S-S bond and an N-C(alpha) bond can be cleaved following a single electron transfer reaction.

Charge State Dependent Fragmentation of Gaseous α-Synuclein Cations via Ion Trap and Beam-Type Collisional Activation

Ions derived from nano-electrospray ionization (nano-ESI) of α-synuclein, a 14.5 kDa, 140 amino acid residue protein that is a major component of the Lewy bodies associated with Parkinson's disease, have been subjected to ion trap and beam-type collisional activation. The former samples products from fragmentation at rates generally lower than 100 s(-1) whereas the latter samples products from fragmentation at rates generally greater than 10(3) s(-1). A wide range of protein charge states spanning from as high as [M+17H](17+) to as low as [M+4H](4+) have been formed either directly from nano-ESI or via ion/ion proton transfer reactions involving the initially formed protein cations and have been subjected to both forms of collision-induced dissociation (CID). The extent of sequence information (i.e., number of distinct amide bond cleavages) available from either CID method was found to be highly sensitive to protein precursor ion charge state. Furthermore, the relative contributions of the various competing dissociation channels were also dependent upon precursor ion charge state. The qualitative trends in the changes in extent of amide bond cleavages and identities of bonds cleaved with precursor ion charge state were similar for two forms of CID. However, for every charge state examined, roughly twice the primary sequence information resulted from beam-type CID relative to ion trap CID. For example, evidence for cleavage of 86% of the protein amide bonds was observed for the [M+9H](9+) precursor ion using beam-type CID whereas 41% of the bonds were cleaved for the same precursor ion using ion trap CID. The higher energies required to drive fragmentation reactions at rates necessary to observe products in the beam experiment access more of the structurally informative fragmentation channels, which has important implications for whole protein tandem mass spectrometry.

Top-down protein identification/characterization of a priori unknown proteins via ion trap collision-induced dissociation and ion/ion reactions in a quadrupole/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer

The identification and characterization of a priori unknown proteins from an Escherichia coli (E. coli) soluble protein lysate using ion trap collision-induced dissociation of intact protein ions followed by ion/ion reactions in a quadrupole/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer is illustrated. The procedure involved the submission of uninterpreted product ion spectra to a peak-picking program and then to ProSightPTM for searching against an E. coli database. Examples are provided for the identification and characterization of both modified and unmodified unknown proteins with masses up to approximately 28 kDa. The availability of protein intact mass along with sequence information makes possible the characterization of proteins with post-translational modifications, such as disulfide linkages, as well as protein isoforms whose sequences are absent from a database, provided that a related form of the gene product is present in the database. This work demonstrates that the quadrupole/time-of-flight platform, in conjunction with ion-ion proton transfer reactions, can be adapted to obtain primary structure information from entire protein ions, rather than simply N- or C-terminal information from low mass-to-charge products, for proteins as large as several tens of kilodaltons.

Mapping disulfide bonds in insulin with the Route 66 Method: selective cleavage of S-C bonds using alkali and alkaline earth metal enolate complexes

Simple and fast identification of disulfide linkages in insulin is demonstrated with a peptic digest using the Route 66 method. This is accomplished by collisional activation of singly and doubly charged cationic Na(+) and Ca(2+) complexes generated using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Collisional activation of doubly charged metal complexes of peptides with intermolecular disulfide linkages yields two sets of singly charged paired products separated by 66 mass units resulting from selective SC bond cleavages. Highly selective elimination of 66 mass units, which corresponds to the molecular weight of hydrogen disulfide (H(2)S(2)), is observed from singly charged metal complexes of peptides with disulfide linkages. The mechanism proposed for these processes is initiated by formation of a metal-stabilized enolate at Cys, followed by cleavage of the S-C bond. Further activation of the products yields sequence information that facilitates locating the position of the disulfide linkages in the peptic digest fragments. For example, the doubly charged Ca(2+) complex of the peptic digest product GIVEQCCASVCSL/FVNQHLCGSHL yields paired products separated by 66 mass units resulting from selective SC bond cleavages at an intermolecular disulfide linkage under low-energy collision-induced dissociation. Further activation of the product comprising the A chain reveals the presence of a second disulfide bridge, an intramolecular linkage. Experimental and theoretical studies of the disulfide linked model peptides provide mechanistic details for the selective cleavage of the S-C bond.

Electron transfer dissociation in the hexapole collision cell of a hybrid quadrupole-hexapole Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer

Electron transfer dissociation (ETD) of proteins is demonstrated in a hybrid quadrupole-hexapole Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (Qh-FTICRMS). Analyte ions are selected in the mass analyzing quadrupole, accumulated in the hexapole linear ion trap, reacted with fluoranthene reagent anions, and then analyzed via an FTICR mass analyzer. The hexapole trap allows for a broad fragment ion mass range and a high ion storage capacity. Using a 3 T FTICRMS, resolutions of 60 000 were achieved with mass accuracies averaging below 1.4 ppm. The high resolution, high mass accuracy ETD spectra provided by FTICR obviates the need for proton transfer reaction (PTR) charge state reduction of ETD product ions when analyzing proteins or large peptides. This is demonstrated with the ETD of ubiquitin and apomyoglobin yielding sequence coverages of 37 and 20%, respectively. We believe this represents the first reported successful combination of ETD and a FTICRMS.

Redox-dependent formation of disulfide bonds in human replication protein A

Human replication protein A (RPA) is a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein with three subunits. The largest subunit, p70, contains a conserved (cysteine)(4)-type zinc-finger motif that has been implicated in the regulation of DNA replication and repair. Previous studies indicated that the ssDNA-binding activity of RPA could be redox-regulated via reversible oxidation of cysteines in the zinc-finger motif. We exposed recombinant human RPA to hydrogen peroxide and characterized the oxidized protein by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) analyses. Our results demonstrated that, upon H(2)O(2) treatment, four cysteines, which reside at the zinc-finger motif of the p70 subunit, could result in the formation of two pairs of intramolecular disulfides, Cys481-Cys486 and Cys500-Cys503; no cysteine sulfinic acid or cysteine sulfonic acid could be found. Moreover, the other 11 cysteines in this protein remained intact. The results demonstrated that the formation of disulfide bonds at the zinc-finger site was responsible for the redox regulation of the DNA-binding activity of RPA.

Selective disulfide bond cleavage in gold(I) cationized polypeptide ions formed via gas-phase ion/ion cation switching

Gaseous multiply protonated disulfide-linked peptides have been subjected to reactions with AuCl2(-) ions to explore the possibility of effecting cation switching of Au+ for two protons and to determine whether cationization by Au+ ions affords selective dissociation of disulfide linkages. The incorporation of Au+ into several model disulfide-linked peptides proved to be straightforward. The primary ion/ion reaction channels were proton transfer, which does not lead to Au+ incorporation, and attachment of AuCl2(-) ions to the polypeptide cation, which does incorporate Au+. Fragmentation of the attachment product, the extent of which varied with peptide and charge state, led to losses of one or more molecules of HCl and, to some extent, cleavage of polypeptides at the disulfide linkage into its two constituent chains. Collisional activation of the intact metal-ion-incorporated peptides showed cleavage of the disulfide linkage to be a major, and in some cases exclusive, process. Cations with protons as the only cationizing agents showed only small contributions from cleavage of the disulfide linkage. These results indicate that Au+ incorporation into a disulfide-linked polypeptide ion is a promising way to effect selective dissociation of disulfide bonds. Cation switching via ion/ion reactions is a convenient means for incorporating gold and is attractive because it avoids the requirement of adding metal salts to the analyte solution.

Probing cysteine reactivity in proteins by mass spectrometric EC-tagging

The on-line electrochemical tagging (EC-tagging) of cysteine residues in proteins during mass spectrometry is studied to probe the cysteine environment. Benzoquinone probes electrogenerated at a microspray electrode react with the thiol functions of the proteins within a microchannel and the products are analyzed by mass spectrometry. The fundamentals of the technique are discussed, with a focus on the kinetic aspects. The EC-tagging efficiency of the cysteine residues in proteins is used to probe their environment. Experiments with unmodified proteins and their chemically reduced forms highlight the strong effect of the cysteine site reactivity on the tagging efficiencies. This study highlights relevant parameters for such on-line electrochemical derivatization/MS detection strategies.

Mass spectrometric approaches for characterizing bacterial proteomes

The emergence of advanced liquid chromatography mass spectrometry technologies for characterizing very complex mixtures of proteins has greatly propelled the field of proteomics, the goal of which is the simultaneous examination of all the proteins expressed by an organism. This research area represents a paradigm shift in molecular biology by attempting to provide a top-down qualitative and quantitative view of all the proteins (including their modifications and interactions) that are essential for an organism's life cycle, rather than targeting a particular protein family. This level of global protein information about an organism such as a bacterium can be combined with genomic and metabolomic data to enable a systems biology approach for understanding how these organisms live and function.

Top-down approach of completely sequencing a 4.9 kDa recombinant peptide using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A recombinant peptide (near the C-terminal region of head involution defective protein) of 4.9 kDa has been completely sequenced and characterized using medium-resolution mass spectrometry (QTOF). The observed difference in the experimental mass and the theoretical mass is due to beta-mercaptoethanol adduct formation on the cysteine residue. The fragmentation pattern is correlated with the primary structure of the protein. Top-down sequencing of the peptide was extended to small proteins like barstar of mass 10.3 kDa.

Effective novel dissociation methods for intact protein: Heat-assisted nozzle-skimmer collisionally induced dissociation and infrared multiphoton dissociation using a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer equipped with a micrometal electrospray ionization emitter

Heating of a nano-electrospray ionization (nanoESI) source can improve the dissociation efficiency of collisionally induced dissociation (CID) methods, such as nozzle-skimmer CID (NS-CID) and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD), for large biomolecule fragmentation. A metal nanoESI emitter was used due to its resistance to heating above 250 degrees C. This novel method for the dissociation of large biomolecular ions is termed "heat-assisted NS-CID" (HANS-CID) or "heat-assisted IRMPD" (HA-IRMPD). Multiple charged nonreduced protein ions (8.6 Da ubiquitin, 14 kDa lysozyme, and 67 kDa bovine serum albumin) were directly dissociated by HANS-CID and HA-IRMPD to effectively yield fragment ions that could be assigned. The fragment ions of ubiquitin by HANS-CID can be analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) using sustained off-resonance irradiation CID (SORI-CID) and IRMPD. In addition, a native large protein, immunoglobulin G (IgG, 150 kDa), was efficiently dissociated by HA-IRMPD. The product ions that were obtained reflected the domain structure of IgG. However, these product ions of IgG and lysozyme were not dissociated by MS/MS using the same heating energetic methods such as IRMPD and SORI-CID.

Selective detection of thiosulfate-containing peptides using tandem mass spectrometry

Incubation of proteins or peptides containing disulfide bonds (S-S) with sodium sulfite (Na(2)SO(3)) cleaves S-S bonds producing approximately equimolar amounts of free thiols (-SH) and thiosulfates (-S-SO(3)H), a process known as sulfitolysis. Proteins and peptides containing thiosulfates were separated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and characterized by mass spectrometry (MS) and peptide mapping. The mass of the thiosulfate-containing peptide formed from oxidized insulin B chain was 3478.02 Da, 80 Da greater than the reduced peptide and corresponding precisely to addition of sulfur trioxide (SO(3)). Disulfide bond cleavage was also observed using RP-HPLC and MS after incubation of the intramolecular homodimer of mouse S100A8 (mass 20614 Da). The mass of HPLC-separated A8-SH was 10308 Da, and 10388 Da for A8-S-SO(3)H. Loss of SO(3) from multiply charged precursor ions was generally observed at elevated declustering potentials in the source region or within q(2) at relatively low collision energies (approximately 20 V). The characteristic loss of SO(3) at low collision energies preceded peptide backbone fragmentations at higher collision energies. Accurate mass measurement and charge-state discrimination, using a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer, allowed specific detection of thiosulfate-containing peptides. An information-dependent acquisition method, where the switch criterion was loss of m/z 79.9568, specifically identified 11 thiosulfate-containing peptides using nano-LC/MS from a tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Phosphorylation site identification via ion trap tandem mass spectrometry of whole protein and peptide ions: bovine alpha-crystallin A chain

Tandem mass spectrometry was applied both to ions of a tryptic fragment and intact protein of bovine alpha-crystallin A chain to localize the single site of phosphorylation. The [M + 19H](19+) to [M + 11H](11+) charge states of both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated bovine alpha-crystallin A chain whole protein ions were subjected to collisional activation in a quadrupole ion trap. Ion parking was used to increase the number of parent ions over that yielded by electrospray. Ion-ion proton-transfer reactions were used to reduce the product ion charge states largely to +1 to simplify spectral interpretation. In agreement with previous studies on whole protein ion fragmentation, both protein forms showed backbone cleavages C-terminal to aspartic acid residues at lower charge states. The phosphorylated protein showed competitive fragmentation between backbone cleavage and the neutral loss of phosphoric acid. Analysis of which backbone cleavage products did or did not contain the phosphate was used to localize the site of phosphorylation to one of two possible serine residues. A tryptic digest of the bovine alpha-crystallin A chain yielded a phosphopeptide containing one missed cleavage site. The peptide provided information complementary to that obtained from the intact protein and localized the modified serine to residue 122. Fragmentation of the triply charged phosphopeptide yielded five possible serine phosphorylation sites. Fragmentation of the doubly charged phosphopeptide, formed by ion/ion proton-transfer reactions, positively identified the phosphorylation site as serine-122.

Investigation of intact protein complexes by mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry has grown in recent years to a well-accepted and increasingly important complementary technique in structural biology. Especially electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is well suited for the detection of non-covalent protein complexes and their interactions with DNA, RNA, ligands, and cofactors. Over the last decade, significant advances have been made in the ionization and mass analysis techniques, which makes the investigation of even larger and more heterogeneous intact assemblies feasible. These technological developments have paved the way to study intact non-covalent protein-protein interactions, assembly and disassembly in real time, subunit exchange, cooperativity effects, and effects of cofactors, allowing us a better understanding of proteins in cellular processes. In this review, we describe some of the latest developments and several highlights.

Effects of single amino acid substitution on the collision-induced dissociation of intact protein ions: Turkey ovomucoid third domain

Expanded understanding of the factors that direct polypeptide ion fragmentation can lead to improved specificity in the use of tandem mass spectrometry for the identification and characterization of proteins. Like the fragmentation of peptide cations, the dissociation of whole protein cations shows several preferred cleavages, the likelihood for which is parent ion charge dependent. While such cleavages are often observed, they are far from universally observed, despite the presence of the residues known to promote them. Furthermore, cleavages at residues not noted to be common in a variety of proteins can be dominant for a particular protein or protein ion charge state. Motivated by the ability to study a small protein, turkey ovomucoid third domain, for which a variety of single amino acid variants are available, the effects of changing the identity of one amino acid in the protein sequence on its dissociation behavior were examined. In particular, changes in amino acids associated with C-terminal aspartic acid cleavage and N-terminal proline cleavage were emphasized. Consistent with previous studies, the product ion spectra were found to be dependent upon the parent ion charge state. Furthermore, the fraction of possible C-terminal aspartic acid cleavages observed to occur for this protein was significantly larger than the fraction of possible N-terminal proline cleavages. In fact, very little N-terminal proline cleavage was noted for the wild-type protein despite the presence of three proline residues in the protein. The addition/removal of proline and aspartic acids was studied along with changes in selected residues adjacent to proline residues. Evidence for inhibition of proline cleavage by the presence of nearby basic residues was noted, particularly if the basic residue was likely to be protonated.

A mechanistic investigation of the enhanced cleavage at histidine in the gas-phase dissociation of protonated peptides

Enhanced gas-phase cleavage of peptides adjacent to histidine was investigated. The peptides examined were angiotensins III (RVYIHPF) and IV (VYIHPF) as well as synthetic peptide analogues with altered key residues ((R)VYI-X-Z-F; X = F or H and Z = A, P, or Sar) or a fixed charge M3P(+)CH(2)C(O)-VYIHPF. While all singly protonated peptide ions containing both histidine and arginine fragment nonselectively, the doubly protonated peptide ions with arginine and histidine, and the singly protonated peptides containing histidine but not arginine, cleave in a selective manner. In particular, dominant complementary b+/y+ product ions resulting from cleavage between the HP amide bond are observed. For the fixed-charge derivative, selective cleavage occurs only if a proton is added to produce a doubly charged precursor. The results are consistent with involvement of a protonated histidine in the selective cleavage. The ratio of b+/y+ is determined by the identity of the residue C-terminal to histidine and by the ability of protonated histidine to transfer a proton to the C-terminal leaving fragment. This was probed further by systematically changing the residue C-terminal to histidine and by alkylating histidine. The results indicate that while b+/y+ complementary ion pairs dominate in doubly protonated RVYIHPF, b5(2+) and b6(2+) product ions dominate the spectra of doubly protonated RVYIHAF. Also, dominant b5(2+) product ions are observed when the histidine side chain is alkylated (H) in doubly protonated RVYIHPF. Based on all of the results, a selective fragmentation mechanism for enhanced cleavage at histidine involving an atypical b ion structure is proposed.

Charge state dependent collision-induced dissociation of native and reduced porcine elastase

The [M + 20H](20+)-[M + 12H](12+) charge states of native and reduced porcine elastase, a 25.9 kDa serine protease, were subjected to collisional activation in a quadrupole ion trap. For most charge states, ion parking was used to increase the number of parent ions over that yielded directly by electrospray. Ion-ion proton transfer reactions were used to reduce product ion charge states largely to +1 to simplify spectral interpretation. Both forms of the protein show charge state dependent fragmentation behavior. The native protein, which contains four disulfide linkages, shows almost no evidence for fragmentation within the regions of the protein linked by disulfide bonds. However, at the lowest charge states studied, evidence for cleavage of a least one of the disulfide bonds was evident in the appearance of a c-type ion. The highest charge states of native elastase showed several prominent cleavages C-terminal to valine residues. As the charge state decreased, however, preferential cleavages at acidic amino acid residues became important. The reduced form of the protein did not show particularly prominent cleavages at valine residues. However, many of the same preferential cleavages at acidic amino acid residues noted for the native protein were also observed in the same charge states of the reduced protein. The reduced protein also showed additional cleavages from regions of the protein that are ordinarily protected by disulfide linkages in the native form.

A quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer with three independent ion sources for the study of gas-phase ion/ion reactions

An instrument for the study of gas-phase ion/ion reactions in which three independent sources of ions, namely, two electrospray ionization sources and one atmospheric sampling glow discharge ionization source, are interfaced to a quadrupole ion trap mass analyzer is described. This instrument expands the scope of gas-phase ion/ion reaction studies by allowing for manipulation of the charge states of multiply charged reactant and product ions. Examples are provided involving the formation of protein-protein complexes in the gas phase. Complexes with charge states that cannot be formed from reactant ion charge states present in the normal electrospray charge state distributions can be formed in the new apparatus. Strategies that rely on both reactant ion charge state manipulation and product ion charge state manipulation are demonstrated. In addition, simplification of product ion spectra generated from dissociation of complexes formed via ion/ion reactions can be effected by using the discharge source to reduce the charge state of the product ions to primarily 1+.

Dissociations of disulfide-linked gaseous polypeptide/protein anions: ion chemistry with implications for protein identification and characterization

Ion trap collisional activation of whole protein anions that contain disulfide bonds results in the cleavage of one of the bonds that comprises the disulfide linkage. The disulfide linkage can break at any of three possible locations, giving rise to several products with different partitioning of sulfur atoms. A facile second-generation dissociation occurs at the polypeptide backbone from products formed from cleavage of the nearest C-S bond of a disulfide linkage. This cleavage occurs exclusively at the N-terminal side of the cysteine residue, from which the C-S bond was cleaved, thereby yielding c and z-S type product ions. This secondary reaction is apparently a relatively low-energy reaction with relatively high entropy requirements because it is not observed to be a major process under beam-type collisional activation conditions, but is a major process under ion trap collisional activation conditions. The specificity of this cleavage, as well as the ability to distinguish it from other cleavages by the sulfur atom distribution, make it useful for the identification of unknown proteins via database searching. Furthermore, the pattern of disulfide cleavages can be useful in providing information about the location of post-translational modifications. Examples using bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor and ribonuclease A and B are given to illustrate these points.

Gas-phase separations of protein and peptide ion fragments generated by collision-induced dissociation in an ion trap

Ion mobility/time-of-flight mass spectrometry techniques have been used to examine distributions of fragment ions generated by collision-induced dissociation (CID) in a quadrupole ion trap. The mobility-based separation step prior to mass-to-charge (m/z) analysis reduces spectral congestion and provides information that complements m/z-based assignments of peaks. The approach is demonstrated by examining fragmentation patterns of insulin chain B (a 30-residue peptide), and ubiquitin (a protein containing 76 amino acids). Some fragments of ubiquitin show evidence for multiple stable conformations.

Dissociation of multiple protein ion charge states following a single gas-phase purification and concentration procedure

The formation of a range of precursor ion charge states from a single concentrated and purified charge state, followed by activation of each charge state, is introduced as a means to obtain more protein structural information than is available from dissociation of a single charge state alone. This approach is illustrated using off-resonance collisional activation of the [M + 8H]8+ to [M + 6H]6+ precursor ions of the bacteriophage MS2 viral coat protein following concentration and purification of the [M + 8H]8+ charge state. This range of charge states was selected on the basis of an ion trap collisional activation study of the effects of precursor ion charge state on the dissociation of the [M + 12H]12+ to [M + 5H]5+ ions. Gas-phase ion/ion proton-transfer reactions and the ion parking technique were applied to purify and concentrate selected precursor ion charge states as well as to simplify the product ion spectra. The high-charge-state ions fragment preferentially at the N-terminal side of proline residues while the product ion spectra of the lowest charge states investigated are dominated by C-terminal aspartic acid cleavages. Maximum structural information is obtained by fragmentation of the intermediate-charge states.

'Top down' protein characterization via tandem mass spectrometry

Technological and scientific advances over the past decade have enabled protein identification and characterization strategies to be developed that are based on subjecting intact protein ions and large protein fragments directly to tandem mass spectrometry. These approaches are referred to collectively as 'top down' to contrast them with 'bottom up' approaches whereby protein identification is based on mass spectrometric analysis of peptides derived from proteolytic digestion, usually with trypsin. A key step in enabling top down approaches has been the ability to assign tandem mass spectrometer product ion identities, which can be done either via high resolving power or through product ion charge state manipulation. The ability to determine product ion charge states has permitted studies of the reactions, including dissociation, ion-molecule reactions, ion-electron reactions and ion-ion reactions of high-mass, multiply charged protein ions. Electrospray ionization combined with high magnetic field strength Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance has proven to be particularly powerful for detailed protein characterization owing to its high mass resolution and mass accuracy and its ability to effect electron capture-induced dissociation. Other types of tandem mass spectrometers are also beginning to find increasing use in top down protein identification/characterization studies. Charge state manipulation via ion-ion reactions in electrodynamic ion traps, for example, enables top down strategies to be considered using instruments with relatively modest mass resolution capabilities. Precursor ion charge state manipulation techniques have also recently been demonstrated to be capable of concentrating and charge-state purifying proteins in the gas phase. Advances in technologies applied to the structural analysis of whole protein ions and in understanding their reactions, such as those described here, are providing new options for the study of complex protein mixtures.

Gas-phase concentration, purification, and identification of whole proteins from complex mixtures

Five proteins present in a relatively complex mixture derived from a whole cell lysate fraction of E. coli have been concentrated, purified, and dissociated in the gas phase, using a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. Concentration of intact protein ions was effected using gas-phase ion/ion proton-transfer reactions in conjunction with mass-to-charge dependent ion "parking" to accumulate protein ions initially dispersed over a range of charge states into a single lower charge state. Sequential ion isolation events interspersed with additional ion parking ion/ion reaction periods were used to "charge-state purify" the protein ion of interest. Five of the most abundant protein components present in the mixture were subjected to this concentration/purification procedure and then dissociated by collisional activation of their intact multiply charged precursor ions. Four of the five proteins were subsequently identified by matching the uninterpreted product ion spectra against a partially annotated protein sequence database, coupled with a novel scoring scheme weighted for the relative abundances of the experimentally observed product ions and the frequency of fragmentations occurring at preferential cleavage sites. The identification of these proteins illustrates the potential of this "top-down" protein identification approach to reduce the reliance on condensed-phase chemistries and extensive separations for complex protein mixture analysis.

Intact protein analysis for site-directed mutagenesis overexpression products: plasmid-encoded R67 dihydrofolate reductase

Mass spectrometry is currently the method of choice for the analysis of recombinant protein expression products. By combining proteolytic digestion with peptide mapping and tandem mass spectrometry techniques, verification of site-directed mutagenesis products can be obtained. The proteolytic digestion step converts a purified recombinant protein into a mixture that must be reseparated, thus greatly increasing the analysis time associated with the confirmation of site-directed mutagenesis products. Ion/ion reaction chemistry combined with quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry provides a fast and efficient way to analyze intact proteins for the correct site-directed mutagenesis products, without heavy reliance on the proteolytic digestion step. Analysis of a series of protein variants (I68M, I68Q, Y69F, and Q67Y) from plasmid-encoded R67 dihydrofolate reductase using ion/ion reaction chemistry confirmed the presence of the correct site-directed mutagenesis products. For the I68M mutant, ion/ion separations detected the presence of extensive degradation from the N-terminal end of the protein. In the case of the Q67Y mutant, a mixture of Q67Y and Q67C species was detected by employing tandem mass spectrometry combined with ion/ion reactions. The ion/ion reaction technique was also performed on a partially purified lysate of the Q67Y/C mixture and successfully screened for the presence of both components in a complex mixture. The ion/ion reaction approach achieved the same results as the proteolytic-digestion-based methodology in a much shorter analysis time.

Characterization of amino acid side chain losses in electron capture dissociation

We have used electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry to characterize amino acid side chain losses observed during electron capture dissociation (ECD) of ten 7- to 14-mer peptides. Side-chain cleavages were observed for arginine, histidine, asparagine or glutamine, methionine, and lysine residues. All peptides containing an arginine, histidine, asparagine or glutamine showed the losses associated with that residue. Methionine side-chain loss was observed for doubly-protonated bombesin. Lysine side-chain loss was observed for triply-protonated dynorphin A fragment 1-13 but not for the doubly-protonated ion. The proximity of arginine to a methoxy C-terminal group significantly enhances the extent of side-chain fragmentation. Fragment ions associated with side-chain losses were comparable in abundance to those resulting from backbone cleavage in all cases. In the ECD spectrum of one peptide, the major product was due to fragmentation within an arginine side chain. Our results suggest that cleavages within side chains should be taken into account in analysis of ECD mass spectral data. Losses from arginine, histidine, and asparigine/glutamine can be used to ascertain their presence, as in the analysis of unknown peptides, particularly those with non-linear structures.

Identification and sequencing analysis of intact proteins via collision-induced dissociation and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Identifying unknown proteins has become a central focal point for proteomic and biopharmaceutical development laboratories. Our laboratory investigated using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Qq/TOFMS) for the analysis of intact proteins for the purpose of identifying unknowns while limiting the number of sample-handling steps between protein extraction and identification. Eight standard proteins, both unmodified and disulfide-bonded and ranging in mass from 5 to 66 kDa, were analyzed using nanoelectrospray and collision-induced dissociation to generate peptide sequence tags. An MS analysis, followed by MS/MS analyses on two to five individual protein charge states, were obtained to make an identification. Peptide sequence tags were extracted from the MS/MS data and used, in conjunction with molecular mass and source origin, to obtain protein identifications using the web-based search engine ProteinInfo (www.proteometrics.com). All of the proteins were unambiguously identified from the input data, after which, all of the major product ions were identified for structural information. In most cases, N- and/or C-terminal ions, and also stretches of consecutive product ions from the protein interior, were observed. This method was applied to the analysis and identification of an unknown detected via reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Ion/ion chemistry as a top-down approach for protein analysis

Developing methodology for analyzing complex protein mixtures in a rapid fashion is one of the most challenging problems facing analytical biochemists today. Recent advances in mass spectrometry for the analysis of intact proteins (i.e. the top-down approach) show great promise for rapid protein identification. The ion/ion chemistry approach for the detection and identification of target proteins in complex matrices, determination of fragmentation channels as a function of precursor ion charge state, and post-translational modification characterization are discussed with particular emphasis on tandem mass spectrometry of intact proteins.

Tandem mass spectrometry of ribonuclease A and B: N-linked glycosylation site analysis of whole protein ions

Recently, an approach for the "top down" sequence analysis of whole protein ions has been developed, employing electrospray ionization, collision-induced dissociation, and ion/ion proton-transfer reactions in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. This approach has now been extended to an analysis of the [M + 12H]12+ to [M + 5H]5+ ions of ribonuclease A and its N-linked glycosylated analogue, ribonuclease B, to determine the influence of the posttranslational modification on protein fragmentation. In agreement with previous studies on the fragmentation of a range of protein ions, facile gas-phase fragmentation was observed to occur along the protein backbone at the C-terminal of aspartic acid residues, and at the N-terminal of proline, depending on the precursor ion charge state. Interestingly, no evidence was found for gas-phase deglycosylation of the N-linked sugar in ribonuclease B, presumably due to effective competition from the facile amide bond cleavage channels that "protect" the N-linked glycosidic bond from cleavage. Thus, localization of the posttranslational modification site may be determined by analysis of the "protein fragment ion mass fingerprint".

Charge-state-dependent sequence analysis of protonated ubiquitin ions via ion trap tandem mass spectrometry

One of the major factors governing the "top-down" sequence analysis of intact multiply protonated proteins by tandem mass spectrometry is the effect of the precursor ion charge state on the formation of product ions. To more fully understand this effect, electrospray ionization coupled to a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer, collision-induced dissociation, and gas-phase ion/ion reactions have been employed to examine the fragmentation of the [M + 12H]12+ to [M + H]+ ions of bovine ubiquitin. At low charge states (+1 to +6), loss of NH3 or H2O from the protonated precursor and directed cleavage at aspartic acid residues was observed. At intermediate charge states, (+7, +8, and +9), extensive nonspecific fragmentation of the protein backbone was observed, with 50% sequence coverage obtained from the [M + 8H]8+ ion alone. At high charge states, (+10, +11, +12), the single dominant channel that was observed was the preferential fragmentation of a single proline residue. These data can be readily explained in terms of the current model for intramolecular proton mobilization, that is, the "mobile proton model", the mechanisms for amide bond dissociation developed for protonated peptides, as well as the structures of the multiply charged ions of ubiquitin in the gas phase, examined by ion mobility and hydrogen/deuterium exchange measurements.

Identification of bacteriophage MS2 coat protein from E. coli lysates via ion trap collisional activation of intact protein ions

Collisional activation of the intact MS2 viral capsid protein with subsequent ion/ion reactions has been used to identify the presence of this virus in E. coli lysates. Tandem ion trap mass spectrometry experiments on the +7, +8, and +9 charge states, followed by ion/ion reactions, provided the necessary sequence tag information (and molecular weight data) needed for protein identification via database searching. The most directly informative structural information is obtained from those charge states that produce a series of product ions arising from fragmentation at adjacent residues. The formation of these product ions via dissociation at adjacent amino acid residues depends greatly on the charge state of the parent ion. Database searching of the charge-state-specific sequence tags was performed by two different search engines: the ProteinInfo program from the Protein information Retrieval On-line World Wide Web Lab or PROWL and the TagIdent program from the ExPASy molecular biology server. These search engines were used in conjunction with the sequence tag information generated via collisional activation of the intact viral coat protein. These programs were used to evaluate the feasibility of generating sequence tags from collisional activation of intact multiply charged protein ions in a quadrupole ion trap.