Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Assay for Label-Free Characterization of SULT2B1b Enzyme Kinetics

Special Issue with Research Topics on "Recent Analysis and Applications of Mass Spectra on Biochemistry"

Analytical mass spectrometry applies irreplaceable mass spectrometric (MS) methods to analytical chemistry and chemical analysis, among other areas of analytical science [...].

Analysis of histidine-tagged recombinant proteins from nickel and copper coated surfaces by direct electrospray ionization and desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

Purification of recombinant proteins is a necessary step for functional or structural studies and other applications. Immobilized metal affinity chromatography is a common recombinant protein purification method. Mass spectrometry (MS) allows for confirmation of identity of expressed proteins and unambiguous detection of enzymatic substrates and reaction products. We demonstrate the detection of enzymes purified on immobilized metal affinity surfaces by direct or ambient ionization MS, and follow their enzymatic reactions by direct electrospray ionization (ESI) or desorption electrospray ionization (DESI).

METHODS

A protein standard, His-Ubq, and two recombinant proteins, His-SHAN and His-CS, expressed in Escherichia coli were immobilized on two immobilized metal affinity systems, Cu-nitriloacetic acid (Cu-NTA) and Ni-NTA. The proteins were purified on surface, and released in the ESI spray solvent for direct infusion, when using the 96-well plate form factor, or analyzed directly from immobilized metal affinity-coated microscope slides by DESI-MS. Enzyme activity was followed by incubating the substrates in wells or by depositing substrate on immobilized protein on coated slides for analysis.

RESULTS

Small proteins (His-Ubq) and medium proteins (His-SAHN) could readily be detected from 96-well plates by direct infusion ESI, or from microscope slides by DESI-MS after purification on surface from clarified E. coli cell lysate. Protein oxidation was observed for immobilized proteins on both Cu-NTA and Ni-NTA; however, this did not hamper the enzymatic reactions of these proteins. Both the nucleosidase reaction products for His-SAHN and the methylation product of His-CS (theobromine to caffeine) were detected.

CONCLUSIONS

The immobilization, purification, release and detection of His-tagged recombinant proteins using immobilized metal affinity surfaces for direct infusion ESI-MS or ambient DESI-MS analyses were successfully demonstrated. Recombinant proteins were purified to allow identification directly out of clarified cell lysate. Biological activities of the recombinant proteins were preserved allowing the investigation of enzymatic activity via MS.

Re-Imagining Drug Discovery using Mass Spectrometry

It is argued that each of the three key steps in drug discovery, (i) reaction screening to find successful routes to desired drug candidates, (ii) scale up of the synthesis to produce amounts adequate for testing, and (iii) bioactivity assessment of the candidate compounds, can all be performed using mass spectrometry (MS) in a sequential fashion. The particular ionization method of choice, desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), is both an analytical technique and a procedure for small-scale synthesis. It is also highly compatible with automation, providing for high throughput in both synthesis and analysis. Moreover, because accelerated reactions take place in the secondary DESI microdroplets generated from individual reaction mixtures, this allows either online analysis by MS or collection of the synthetic products by droplet deposition. DESI also has the unique advantage, amongst spray-based MS ionization methods, that complex buffered biological solutions can be analyzed directly, without concern for capillary blockage. Here, all these capabilities are illustrated, the unique chemistry at droplet interfaces is presented, and the possible future implementation of DESI-MS based drug discovery is discussed.

Recent Developments in Mass Spectrometry to Support Next-Generation Synthesis and Screening

The complexity of new therapeutics continues to increase and the timeline for the discovery of these therapeutics continues to shrink. This creates demand for new analytical techniques to facilitate quicker discovery and development of novel drugs. Mass spectrometry is one of the most prolific analytical techniques that has been applied across the entire drug discovery pipeline. New mass spectrometers and the associated methods for sampling have been introduced at a rate that keeps pace with new chemistries, therapeutic types, and screening practices used by modern drug hunters. This microperspective covers application and implementation of new mass spectrometry workflows that enable current and future efforts in screening and synthesis for drug discovery.

High-Throughput Diversification of Complex Bioactive Molecules by Accelerated Synthesis in Microdroplets

Late-stage diversification of drug molecules is an important strategy in drug discovery that can be facilitated by reaction screening using high-throughput experimentation. Here we present a rapid method for functionalizing bioactive molecules based on accelerated reactions in microdroplets. Reaction mixtures are nebulized at throughputs better than 1 reaction/second and the accelerated reactions occurring in the microdroplets are followed by desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS). Because the accelerated reactions occur on the millisecond timescale, they allow an overall screening throughput of 1 Hz working at the low nanogram scale. Using this approach, an opioid agonist (PZM21) and an antagonist (naloxone) were diversified using three reactions important in medicinal chemistry: sulfur fluoride exchange (SuFEx) click reactions, imine formation reactions, and ene-type click reactions. Some 269 functionalized analogs of naloxone and PZM21 were generated and characterized by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) after screening over 500 reactions.

In-depth analysis of biocatalysts by microfluidics: An emerging source of data for machine learning

Nowadays, the vastly increasing demand for novel biotechnological products is supported by the continuous development of biocatalytic applications which provide sustainable green alternatives to chemical processes. The success of a biocatalytic application is critically dependent on how quickly we can identify and characterize enzyme variants fitting the conditions of industrial processes. While miniaturization and parallelization have dramatically increased the throughput of next-generation sequencing systems, the subsequent characterization of the obtained candidates is still a limiting process in identifying the desired biocatalysts. Only a few commercial microfluidic systems for enzyme analysis are currently available, and the transformation of numerous published prototypes into commercial platforms is still to be streamlined. This review presents the state-of-the-art, recent trends, and perspectives in applying microfluidic tools in the functional and structural analysis of biocatalysts. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of available technologies, their reproducibility and robustness, and readiness for routine laboratory use. We also highlight the unexplored potential of microfluidics to leverage the power of machine learning for biocatalyst development.

Accelerated and Concerted Aza-Michael Addition and SuFEx Reaction in Microdroplets in Unitary and High-Throughput Formats

The sulfur fluoride exchange (SuFEx) reaction is significant in drug discovery, materials science, and chemical biology. Conventionally, it involves installation of SO₂ F followed by fluoride exchange by a catalyst. We report catalyst-free Aza-Michael addition to install SO₂ F and then SuFEx reaction with amines, both occurring in concert, in microdroplets under ambient conditions. The microdroplet reaction is accelerated by a factor of ∼10⁴ relative to the corresponding bulk reaction. We suggest that the superacidic microdroplet surface assists SuFEx reaction by protonating fluorine to create a good leaving group. The reaction scope was established by performing individual reactions in microdroplets of 18 amines in four solvents and confirmed using high-throughput desorption electrospray ionization experiments. The study demonstrates the value of microdroplet-assisted accelerated reactions in combination with high-throughput experimentation for characterization of reaction scope.

High-throughput analysis of tissue microarrays using automated desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Tissue microarrays (TMAs) are commonly used for the rapid analysis of large numbers of tissue samples, often in morphological assessments but increasingly in spectroscopic analysis, where specific molecular markers are targeted via immunostaining. Here we report the use of an automated high-throughput system based on desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry (MS) for the rapid generation and online analysis of high-density (6144 samples/array) TMAs, at rates better than 1 sample/second. Direct open-air analysis of tissue samples (hundreds of nanograms) not subjected to prior preparation, plus the ability to provide molecular characterization by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), make this experiment versatile and applicable to both targeted and untargeted analysis in a label-free manner. These capabilities are demonstrated in a proof-of-concept study of frozen brain tissue biopsies where we showcase (i) a targeted MS/MS application aimed at identification of isocitrate dehydrogenase mutation in glioma samples and (ii) an untargeted MS tissue type classification using lipid profiles and correlation with tumor cell percentage estimates from histopathology. The small sample sizes and large sample numbers accessible with this methodology make for a powerful analytical system that facilitates the identification of molecular markers for later use in intraoperative applications to guide precision surgeries and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Complexity reduction and opportunities in the design, integration and intensification of biocatalytic processes for metabolite synthesis

The biosynthesis of metabolites from available starting materials is becoming an ever important area due to the increasing demands within the life science research area. Access to metabolites is making essential contributions to analytical, diagnostic, therapeutic and different industrial applications. These molecules can be synthesized by the enzymes of biological systems under sustainable process conditions. The facile synthetic access to the metabolite and metabolite-like molecular space is of fundamental importance. The increasing knowledge within molecular biology, enzyme discovery and production together with their biochemical and structural properties offers excellent opportunities for using modular cell-free biocatalytic systems. This reduces the complexity of synthesizing metabolites using biological whole-cell approaches or by classical chemical synthesis. A systems biocatalysis approach can provide a wealth of optimized enzymes for the biosynthesis of already identified and new metabolite molecules.

Spontaneous Water Radical Cation Oxidation at Double Bonds in Microdroplets

Spontaneous oxidation of compounds containing diverse X=Y moieties (e.g., sulfonamides, ketones, esters, sulfones) occurs readily in organic-solvent microdroplets. This surprising phenomenon is proposed to be driven by the generation of an intermediate species [M+H₂O]^+·: a covalent adduct of water radical cation (H₂O^+·) with the reactant molecule (M). The adduct is observed in the positive ion mass spectrum while its formation in the interfacial region of the microdroplet (i.e., at the air-droplet interface) is indicated by the strong dependence of the oxidation product formation on the spray distance (which reflects the droplet size and consequently the surface-to-volume ratio) and the solvent composition. Importantly, based on the screening of a ca. 21,000-compound library and the detailed consideration of six functional groups, the formation of a molecular adduct with the water radical cation is a significant route to ionization in positive ion mode electrospray, where it is favored in those compounds with X=Y moieties which lack basic groups. A set of model monofunctional systems was studied and in one case, benzyl benzoate, evidence was found for oxidation driven by hydroxyl radical adduct formation followed by protonation in addition to the dominant water radical cation addition process. Significant implications of molecular ionization by water radical cations for oxidation processes in atmospheric aerosols, analytical mass spectrometry and small-scale synthesis are noted.