Structure determination of phospholipids by secondary ion mass spectrometric techniques: Differentiation of isomeric esters

Acidic glycerol lipids of Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus

The isolation and characterization of acidic lipids from both Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus have been carried out using radiolabeling, a combination of high performance liquid and thin layer chromatographic techniques, and mass spectrometry. Unique among the eukaryotes, these organisms produce phosphatidylglycerols and O-acyl phosphatidylglycerol-like compounds. In this study, the molecular weight distributions of the phosphatidylglycerols and acyl phosphatidylglycerols were determined by negative-ion liquid secondary ionization mass spectrometry (LSIMS) and the fatty acyl groups within each molecular species were assessed by collision-induced decomposition tandem mass spectrometry (CID MS/MS). Both species were found to contain primarily oleic acid in the sn-2 position. The lipids of T. vaginalis had approximately equal amounts of C16 and C18 in the sn-1 position, with varying degrees of unsaturation, especially in the C18 species. The T. foetus lipids had C18 almost exclusively, but also varied in the unsaturation. Other acidic lipids included inositol phosphosphingolipids and inositol diphosphosphingolipids.

Direct analysis by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry of mixtures of phosphatidyldiacylglycerols from Lactobacillus

Electrospray ionization followed by collision-induced dissociation in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer of mixtures of deprotonated phosphatidyldiacylglycerols afforded a group of three diagnostic ions of convenient abundance for each phosphatidyldiacylglycerol (PG) present in the mixture. Thus, it was possible to determine unmistakably the identity and substitution positions (sn-1 or sn-2) for both acyl groups of each PG present in the mixture. The method also allows the study of isomeric mixtures of PG and mixtures containing minor amounts of some PG from crude extracts of Lactobacillus acidophillus. The present results improve those of previous studies using fast atom bombardment and electrospray ionization tanden mass spectrometry, in which it was reported that it was possible to differentiate the identity and position of the sn-2 acyl substituent only by the presence of one ion, with variable abundance.

Isolation and characterization of inositol sphingophospholipids from Phytophthora parasitica Dastur

Several inositol sphingophospholipids (ISPL) were isolated from mycelia of Phytophthora parasitica Dastur, a phytopathogenic fungus of carnation. The ISPL structures were determined by fast atom bombardment. All ISPL consisted of ceramides linked to inositol phosphate. We investigated the effect of growth conditions on the ISPL produced in four different media that are commonly used for fungal cultures. We showed that P. parasitica Dastur synthesized four major classes of compounds with molecular weights of M(r) = 751, 807, 835, and 849 containing the 16:1 base and the 16:0 or 20:0 or 22:0 or 22h:1 N-acyl group. The relative abundance of the different ISPL is dependent on growth conditions.

A novel enzyme that cleaves the N-acyl linkage of ceramides in various glycosphingolipids as well as sphingomyelin to produce their lyso forms

We describe a novel enzyme that hydrolyzes the N-acyl linkage between fatty acids and sphingosine bases in ceramides of various sphingolipids. The enzyme was purified about 3000-fold with 5% recovery from the culture filtrate of a newly isolated bacterium (Pseudomonas sp. TK4) by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by several steps of high performance liquid chromatography. The purified enzyme preparation was completely free of exoglycosidases, sphingomyelinase, and proteases, and showed a single protein band corresponding to a molecular mass of 52 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis after staining with Coomassie Brilliant Blue. The enzyme shows quite wide specificity, i.e. it hydrolyzes both neutral and acidic glycosphingolipids, and simple glycosphingolipid cerebrosides to polysialogangliosides such as GQ1b. Furthermore the enzyme also hydrolyzes sphingomyelin to produce the respective lyso form. However, the enzyme shows hardly any activity on ceramides, indicating that it is completely different from the ceramidase (EC 3.5.1.23) reported previously. This enzyme, which is tentatively named sphingolipid ceramide N-deacylase, should greatly facilitate the further study of sphingolipids as well as lysosphingolipids.

Characterization of the molecular species of glycerophospholipids from rabbit kidney: an alternative approach to the determination of the fatty acyl chain position by negative ion fast atom bombardment combined with mass-analysed ion kinetic energy analysis

An alternative approach to identifying fatty acid chain position in the molecular species of glycerophospholipids has been studied and developed. The fatty acyl groups esterified to the glycerol backbone in isomeric glycerophosphatidyl-choline, -serine and -ethanolamine as well as glycerophosphatidic acid can be detected by the presence of a pair of anions derived from phosphatidic acid parent ions (M minus the polar head groups in glycerophospholipids), designed to be [M--polar head--R2COOH]- and [M--polar head--R2CO--H]-, produced by negative ion fast atom bombardment combined with mass-analysed ion kinetic energy analysis. Because of the significant abundance of [M--polar head--R2COOH]- anion, fatty acid chains differing by 2 Da can be distinguished by accurate measurements of the electrostatic voltage related to this ion. Three-volt differences can be evidenced. Using this approach, the molecular species of glycerophosphatidyl-choline, -serine, -ethanolamine and -inositol from rabbit kidney were characterized after the separation of both class and species by normal and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. We identified 11 arachidonoyl-containing molecular species of glycerophospholipids and the other 17 lipid molecules in this biological material. A couple of 1- alkenyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphoethanolamine species, identified as plasmalogen GPE 16:0-20:4 and plasmalogen GPE 18:0-20:4, were found for the first time in rabbit kidney.

Structures of glycophosphosphingolipids of Tritrichomonas foetus: a novel glycophosphosphingolipid

The glycophosphosphingolipids of Tritrichomonas foetus, an aerotolerant parasite of the urogenital tract of cattle, have been characterized by a combination of metabolic labeling, chromatography, and tandem mass spectrometry. The acidic glycolipid fraction of T. foetus obtained by DEAE Sephadex A-25 column chromatography was subfractionated by high performance thin layer chromatography and the component lipids were purified by high performance liquid chromatography. Two nonsaponifiable lipid fractions, designated TF1 and TF2, could be metabolically labeled with [3H]myoinositol and [32P]orthophosphate. [3H]Fucose and [14C]ethanolamine were preferentially incorporated into the TF1 fraction. TF1 was partially hydrolyzed by alpha-fucosidase. Both TF1 and TF2 contain ceramides, the most abundant having either sphinganine or sphingosine and a 16:0 N-acyl group. TF2 contains inositolphosphoceramides. TF1, on the other hand, contains three closely related components, in each of which fucose is linked to inositol diphosphate with one of the phosphates linked to the ceramide moiety and the other phosphate either free or linked to ethanolamine or N-acetylethanolamine. TF1 appears to be a novel class of glycophosphosphingolipid which shows some structural similarities to the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors of eukaryotic membrane proteins.

Desorption of ions from rat membranes: selectivity of different ionization techniques

Complex lipid biomarkers, including phosphatidylcholines, cerebrosides and sulfatides, are shown to be desorbed intact from rat brain myelin and rat liver microsomes by liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry, by plasma desorption and by laser desorption. Different polar lipids are favored by the different desorption techniques and as negative or positive ions. These selectivities support current theories about ionization for the different techniques.

Di-O-alkylglycerol, mono-O-alkylglycerol and ceramide inositol phosphates of Leishmania mexicana mexicana promastigotes

Three acidic unsaponifiable lipid fractions were isolated by chromatographic methods from sandfly vector stages (promastigotes) of a protozoan parasite of man, Leishmania mexicana mexicana, cultured in vitro. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, fast atom bombardment collision induced tandem mass spectrometry and metabolic labeling were used to characterize these lipids as di-O-alkylphosphatidyl-inositols, lyso-1-O-alkylphosphatidylinositols and inositol phosphosphingolipids. Molecular species of the dialkyl forms, new to natural product biochemistry, had a 20:0 substituent and either 17:1 or 18:1. The monoalkyl forms had either 17:0 or 18:0. The predominant ceramide had the 16:1 base and the lesser component the 16:0 base. In both, the N-acyl group was 18:0.

FAB MS/MS for phosphatidylinositol, -glycerol, -ethanolamine and other complex phospholipids

Fast atom bombardment (FAB) of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, cardiolipin, phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylglycerol produces a limited number of very informative negative ions. Especially significant is the formation of (M-H)-ions and ions that correspond to the carboxylate portions of these molecules. FAB desorption in combination with collisional activation allows for characterization of fragmentation and determination of structural features. Collisional activation of the carboxylate anion from complex lipids is especially informative. Structural characterization of the fatty acids can be achieved as the released saturated carboxylate anions undergo highly specific charge remote fragmentations that are entirely consistent with the chemistry of carboxylate anions desorbed from free fatty acids. This permits both identification of the modification and assignment of its location on the acid chain. FAB-desorbed alkyl acetyl glycerophosphocholines (platelet-activating factor) do not produce (M-H)-ions. However, significant high mass ions are formed, and these can be collisionally activated for structural characterization.

252-Californium plasma desorption mass spectrometry of glycerophospholipids

252-Californium plasma desorption mass spectrometry was applied to the study of five different classes of phospholipids namely phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol. Positive and negative ion spectra were compared to spectra obtained using other ionization techniques. Plasma desorption mass spectra provide useful information on the molecular weight of compounds from all classes, particularly in the case of phosphatidylserine--a class that has failed to show satisfactory quasimolecular ions with either Fast atom bombardment, FAB or Field desorption, FD. The observed fragmentation is also indicative of the structure of the studied compounds.

Fast atom bombardment and tandem mass spectrometry of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine

Fast atom bombardment (FAB) desorption of phosphatidylserine and various phosphatidylcholines produces a limited number of very informative negative ions. Especially significant is the formation of (M-H)- ions for phosphatidylserine, a compound which does not yield informative high mass ions by other ionization methods. Phosphatidylcholines do not yield (M-H)- ions but instead produce three characteristic high mass ions, (M-CH+3)-, [M-HN(CH3)+3]- and [M-HN(CH3)+3-C2H2]-. Both classes of lipids also yield anions attributed to the carboxylate components of these complex lipids. FAB desorption in combination with collisional activation allows for characterization of fragmentation and determination of structural features. Collisional activation of the carboxylate anion fragments from the complex lipids is especially informative. Structural characterization of the fatty acid chain can be achieved as the released saturated carboxylate anions undergo a highly specific 1,4-elimination of H2, which results in the losses of the elements of CH4, C2H6, C3H8 . . . in a fashion entirely consistent with the chemistry of carboxylate anions desorbed from free fatty acids. These CnH2n + 2 losses begin at the alkyl terminus and progress along the entire alkyl chain. Modified fatty acids undergo a similar fragmentation; however, the modification affects the series of CnH2n + 2 losses in a manner which permits determining the type of modification and its location on the fatty acid chain.

Fast atom bombardment analysis of arachidonic acid-containing phosphatidylcholine molecular species

Fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry was evaluated as a means for the characterization of molecular species of glycerophosphocholines (GPC) from HL60 cells. Previous reports of phospholipid molecular species analysis have suggested that several inherent problems with FAB could limit its analytical usefulness in such an application. The GPC-related secondary ions produced by the FAB experiment were found to be dependent on the matrix employed. Triethanolamine was found to minimize mass-related discrimination in ion emission when mixtures were studied; and furthermore, this matrix maintained 60% maximal ion current after 12 minutes as compared to a glycerol matrix which diminished to 10% maximal ion current. Using triethanolamine, the major GPC species in HL60 cells prelabeled with (2H8) arachidonic acid were found to be 16:0a16:1, 16:0e/18:1, 16:0a/18:1, 18:1a/18:1 and 18:0a/18:1. It was possible to identify the minor GPC species containing arachidonic acid only after partial purification by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Comparison of the 2H8/2H0 enrichment data estimated by FAB with data obtained by gas chromatographic/mass spectral analysis of arachidonic acid following GPC hydrolysis revealed that the precision of FAB was less precise than gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Yet the FAB technique did allow the observation of one unexpected molecular species (18:1a/20:4) due to the fact that the GPC was not degraded to simpler species prior to analysis. In this respect, the two strategies of molecular species analysis complement each other.

A comparison of three methods of soft ionization mass spectrometry of crude phospholipid extracts

Many different classes of phospholipids were identified from crude extracts of hearts by three soft ionization mass spectrometric techniques: liquid matrix secondary ion mass spectrometry in the negative mode, (-)LSIMS, and in the positive mode, (+)LSIMS, and field desorption. (-)LSIMS and (+)LSIMS are complementary methods. In some cases it was possible to establish the fatty acid and aldehyde composition and position of some phospholipid classes, by the analysis of fragments.