N3 and O2 Protonated Conformers of the Cytosine Mononucleotides Coexist in the Gas Phase

Charge site manipulation to enhance top-down fragmentation efficiency

In recent years, top-down mass spectrometry has become a widely used approach to study proteoforms; however, improving sequence coverage remains an important goal. Here, two different proteins, α-synuclein and bovine carbonic anhydrase, were subjected to top-down collision-induced dissociation (CID) after electrospray ionisation. Two high-boiling solvents, DMSO and propylene carbonate, were added to the protein solution in low concentration (2%) and the effects on the top-down fragmentation patterns of the proteins were systematically investigated. Each sample was measured in triplicate, which revealed highly reproducible differences in the top-down CID fragmentation patterns in the presence of a solution additive, even if the same precursor charge state was isolated in the quadrupole of the instrument. Further investigation supports the solution condition-dependent selective formation of different protonation site isomers as the underlying cause of these differences. Higher sequence coverage was often observed in the presence of additives, and the benefits of this approach became even more evident when datasets from different solution conditions were combined, as increases up to 35% in cleavage coverage were obtained. Overall, this approach therefore represents a promising opportunity to increase top-down fragmentation efficiency.

OH Radical-Induced Oxidation in Nucleosides and Nucleotides Unraveled by Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Infrared Multiple Photon Dissociation Spectroscopy

OH⋅-induced oxidation products of DNA nucleosides and nucleotides have been structurally characterized by collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (CID-MS2 ) and Infrared Multiple Photon Dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy. CID-MS2 results have shown that the addition of one oxygen atom occurs on the nucleobase moiety. The gas-phase geometries of +16 mass increment products of 2'-deoxyadenosine (dA(O)H+ ), 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-monophosphate (dAMP(O)H+ ), 2'-deoxycytidine (dC(O)H+ ), and 2'-deoxycytidine 5'-monophosphate (dCMP(O)H+ ) are extensively investigated by IRMPD spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations. We show that a carbonyl group is formed at the C8 position after oxidation of 2'-deoxyadenosine and its monophosphate derivative. For 2'-deoxycytidine and its monophosphate derivative, the oxygen atom is added to the C5 position to form a C-OH group. IRMPD spectroscopy has been employed for the first time to provide direct structural information on oxidative lesions in DNA model systems.

Laser Photodissocation, Action Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry Unite to Detect and Separate Isomers

The separation and detection of isomers remains a challenge for many areas of mass spectrometry. This article highlights laser photodissociation and ion mobility strategies that have been deployed to tackle...

Solution Condition-Dependent Formation of Gas-Phase Protomers of Alpha-Synuclein in Electrospray Ionization

One of the main characteristics of biomolecular ions in mass spectrometry is their net charge, and a range of approaches exist to either increase or decrease this quantity in the gas phase. In the context of small molecules, it is well known that, in addition to the charge state, the charge site also has a profound effect on an ion's gas-phase behavior; however, this effect has been far less explored for peptides and intact proteins. Methods exist to determine charge sites of protein ions, and others have observed that the interplay of electrostatic repulsion and inherent basicity leads to different sites gaining or losing a charge depending on the total net charge. Here, we report two distinct protonation site isomers ("protomers") of α-synuclein occurring at the same charge state. The protomers showed important differences in their gas-phase fragmentation behavior and were furthermore distinguishable by ion mobility spectrometry. One protomer was produced under standard electrospray conditions, while the other was observed after addition of 10% dimethyl sulfoxide to the protein solution. Charge sites for both protomers were determined using ultraviolet photodissociation.

In vitro reactions of a cyanocobalamin-cisplatin conjugate with nucleoside monophosphates

RATIONALE

Cisplatin (CP) is a widely used anticancer drug characterized by toxic side effects that could be alleviated using novel delivery systems including CP prodrugs. The in vitro incubation of a putative prodrug, obtained from cyanocobalamin (CNCbl) and cis-diamminemonochloroplatinum(II) (mCP), with nucleoside monophosphates (NMPs) was investigated.

METHODS

The in vitro reactions between the putative prodrug CNCbl-mCP and the NMPs of adenosine (AMP), guanosine (GMP), cytidine (CMP) and uridine (UMP) were carried out in slightly acidic water-methanol solutions at 37°C for 24 h. Each sample was examined using reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization in positive ion mode and tandem mass spectrometry (RPLC/ESI-MS/MS) by collision-induced dissociation in a linear ion-trap mass spectrometer.

RESULTS

Seven adducts were recognized as formed by substitution reactions of the chloride ligand in planar CP. Comparison between observed and theoretical isotopic patterns together with MS/MS fragmentation pathways revealed the presence of single or multiple binding sites depending on the NMP involved. The CNCbl-mCP conjugate was found to interact with N⁷ or O⁴ atoms of GMP and UMP, respectively, generating single adducts, while two isomeric adducts were observed for CMP. Finally, AMP gave rise to three isomeric adducts.

CONCLUSIONS

In agreement with literature data relevant to the interaction between CP and NMPs, the most reactive nucleotides were AMP and GMP. The present RPLC/ESI-MS/MS approach is very promising for investigation of the reactions of CP conjugates with ribonucleotides not only in vitro but also in vivo.

Structural and Energetic Effects of O2'-Ribose Methylation of Protonated Pyrimidine Nucleosides

The 2'-substituents distinguish DNA from RNA nucleosides. 2'-O-methylation occurs naturally in RNA and plays important roles in biological processes. Such 2'-modifications may alter the hydrogen-bonding interactions of the nucleoside and thus may affect the conformations of the nucleoside in an RNA chain. Structures of the protonated 2'-O-methylated pyrimidine nucleosides were examined by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy, assisted by electronic structure calculations. The glycosidic bond stabilities of the protonated 2'-O-methylated pyrimidine nucleosides, [Nuom+H]⁺, were also examined and compared to their DNA and RNA nucleoside analogues via energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation (ER-CID). The preferred sites of protonation of the 2'-O-methylated pyrimidine nucleosides parallel their canonical DNA and RNA nucleoside analogues, [dNuo+H]⁺ and [Nuo+H]⁺, yet their nucleobase orientation and sugar puckering differ. The glycosidic bond stabilities of the protonated pyrimidine nucleosides follow the order: [dNuo+H]⁺ < [Nuo+H]⁺ < [Nuom+H]⁺. The slightly altered structures help explain the stabilization induced by 2'-O-methylation of the pyrimidine nucleosides.

Impact of Sodium Cationization on Gas-Phase Conformations of DNA and RNA Cytidine Mononucleotides

Gas-phase conformations of the sodium-cationized forms of the 2'-deoxycytidine and cytidine mononucleotides, [pdCyd+Na]⁺ and [pCyd+Na]⁺, are examined by infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectroscopy. Complimentary electronic structure calculations at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,2p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory provide candidate conformations and their respective predicted IR spectra for comparison across the IR fingerprint and hydrogen-stretching regions. Comparisons of the predicted IR spectra and the measured infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectra provide insight into the impact of sodium cationization on intrinsic mononucleotide structure. Further, comparison of present results with those reported for the sodium-cationized cytidine nucleoside analogues elucidates the impact of the phosphate moiety on gas-phase structure. Across the neutral, protonated, and sodium-cationized cytidine mononucleotides, a preference for stabilization of the phosphate moiety and nucleobase orientation is observed, although the details of this stabilization differ with the state of cationization. Several low-energy conformations of [pdCyd+Na]⁺ and [pCyd+Na]⁺ involving several different orientations of the phosphate moiety and sugar puckering modes are observed experimentally.

The effect of adenine protonation on RNA phosphodiester backbone bond cleavage elucidated by deaza-nucleobase modifications and mass spectrometry

The catalytic strategies of small self-cleaving ribozymes often involve interactions between nucleobases and the ribonucleic acid (RNA) backbone. Here we show that multiply protonated, gaseous RNA has an intrinsic preference for the formation of ionic hydrogen bonds between adenine protonated at N3 and the phosphodiester backbone moiety on its 5'-side that facilitates preferential phosphodiester backbone bond cleavage upon vibrational excitation by low-energy collisionally activated dissociation. Removal of the basic N3 site by deaza-modification of adenine was found to abrogate preferential phosphodiester backbone bond cleavage. No such effects were observed for N1 or N7 of adenine. Importantly, we found that the pH of the solution used for generation of the multiply protonated, gaseous RNA ions by electrospray ionization affects phosphodiester backbone bond cleavage next to adenine, which implies that the protonation patterns in solution are at least in part preserved during and after transfer into the gas phase. Our study suggests that interactions between protonated adenine and phosphodiester moieties of RNA may play a more important mechanistic role in biological processes than considered until now.

Structures and Relative Glycosidic Bond Stabilities of Protonated 2'-Fluoro-Substituted Purine Nucleosides

The 2'-substituent is the primary distinguishing feature between DNA and RNA nucleosides. Modifications to this critical position, both naturally occurring and synthetic, can produce biologically valuable nucleoside analogues. The unique properties of fluorine make it particularly interesting and medically useful as a synthetic nucleoside modification. In this work, the effects of 2'-fluoro modification on the protonated gas-phase purine nucleosides are examined using complementary tandem mass spectrometry and computational methods. Direct comparisons are made with previous studies on related nucleosides. Infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectroscopy performed in both the fingerprint and hydrogen-stretching regions allows for the determination of the experimentally populated conformations. The populated conformers of protonated 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxyadenosine, [Adofl+H]⁺, and 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxyguanosine, [Guofl+H]⁺, are highly parallel to their respective canonical DNA and RNA counterparts. Both N3 and N1 protonation sites are accessed by [Adofl+H]⁺, stabilizing syn and anti nucleobase orientations, respectively. N7 protonation and anti nucleobase orientation dominates in [Guofl+H]⁺. Spectroscopically observable intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions with fluorine allow more definitive sugar puckering determinations than possible for the canonical systems. [Adofl+H]⁺ adopts C2'-endo sugar puckering, whereas [Guofl+H]⁺ adopts both C2'-endo and C3'-endo sugar puckering. Energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation experiments with survival yield analyses provide relative glycosidic bond stabilities. The N-glycosidic bond stabilities of the protonated 2'-fluoro-substituted purine nucleosides are found to exceed those of their canonical analogues. Further, the N-glycosidic bond stability is found to increase with increasing electronegativity of the 2'-substituent, i.e., H < OH < F. The N-glycosidic bond stability is also greater for the adenine nucleoside analogues than the guanine nucleoside analogues.

Structural characterization of nucleotide 5'-triphosphates by infrared ion spectroscopy and theoretical studies

The molecular family of nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs), with adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) as its best-known member, is of high biochemical importance as their phosphodiester bonds form Nature's main means to store and transport energy. Here, gas-phase IR spectroscopic studies and supporting theoretical studies have been performed on adenosine 5'-triphosphate, cytosine 5'-triphosphate and guanosine 5'-triphosphate to elucidate the intrinsic structural properties of NTPs, focusing on the influence of the nucleobase and the extent of deprotonation. Mass spectrometric studies involving collision induced dissociation showed similar fragmentation channels for the three studied NTPs within a selected charge state. The doubly charged anions exhibit fragmentation similar to the energy-releasing hydrolysis reaction in nature, while the singly charged anions show different dominant fragmentation channels, suggesting that the charge state plays a significant role in the favorability of the hydrolysis reaction. A combination of infrared ion spectroscopy and quantum-chemical computations indicates that the singly charged anions of all NTPs are preferentially deprotonated at their β-phosphates, while the doubly-charged anions are dominantly αβ-deprotonated. The assigned three-dimensional structure differs for ATP and CTP on the one hand and GTP on the other, in the sense that ATP and CTP show no interaction between nucleobase and phosphate tail, while in GTP they are hydrogen bonded. This can be rationalized by considering the structure and geometry of the NTPs where the final three dimensional structure depends on a subtle balance between hydrogen bond strength, flexibility and steric hindrance.

Structural and Energetic Effects of O2'-Ribose Methylation of Protonated Purine Nucleosides

The chemical difference between DNA and RNA nucleosides is their 2'-hydrogen versus 2'-hydroxyl substituents. Modification of the ribosyl moiety at the 2'-position and 2'-O-methylation in particular, is common among natural post-transcriptional modifications of RNA. 2'-Modification may alter the electronic properties and hydrogen-bonding characteristics of the nucleoside and thus may lead to enhanced stabilization or malfunction. The structures and relative glycosidic bond stabilities of the protonated forms of the 2'-O-methylated purine nucleosides, 2'-O-methyladenosine (Adom) and 2'-O-methylguanosine (Guom), were examined using two complementary tandem mass spectrometry approaches, infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectroscopy and energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation. Theoretical calculations were also performed to predict the structures and relative stabilities of stable low-energy conformations of the protonated forms of the 2'-O-methylated purine nucleosides and their infrared spectra in the gas phase. Low-energy conformations highly parallel to those found for the protonated forms of the canonical DNA and RNA purine nucleosides are also found for the protonated 2'-O-methylated purine nucleosides. Importantly, the preferred site of protonation, nucleobase orientation, and sugar puckering are preserved among the DNA, RNA, and 2'-O-methylated variants of the protonated purine nucleosides. The 2'-substituent does however influence hydrogen-bond stabilization as the 2'-O-methyl and 2'-hydroxyl substituents enable a hydrogen-bonding interaction between the 2'- and 3'-substituents, whereas a 2'-hydrogen atom does not. Further, 2'-O-methylation reduces the number of stable low-energy hydrogen-bonded conformations possible and importantly inverts the preferred polarity of this interaction versus that of the RNA analogues. Trends in the CID_50% values extracted from survival yield analyses of the 2'-O-methylated and canonical DNA and RNA forms of the protonated purine nucleosides are employed to elucidate their relative glycosidic bond stabilities. The glycosidic bond stability of Adom is found to exceed that of its DNA and RNA analogues. The glycosidic bond stability of Guom is also found to exceed that of its DNA analogue; however, this modification weakens this bond relative to its RNA counterpart. The glycosidic bond stability of the protonated purine nucleosides appears to be correlated with the hydrogen-bond stabilization of the sugar moiety.

The intrinsic basicity of the phosphate backbone exceeds that of uracil and thymine residues: protonation of the phosphate moiety is preferred over the nucleobase for pdThd and pUrd

The gas-phase conformations of the protonated forms of thymidine-5'-monophosphate and uridine-5'-monophosphate, [pdThd+H]⁺ and [pUrd+H]⁺, are investigated by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy and electronic structure calculations. The IRMPD action spectra of [pdThd+H]⁺ and [pUrd+H]⁺ are measured over the IR fingerprint and hydrogen-stretching regions using the FELIX free electron laser and an OPO/OPA laser system. Low-energy conformations of [pdThd+H]⁺ and [pUrd+H]⁺ and their relative stabilities are computed at the MP2(full)/6-311+G(2d,2p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,2p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) levels of theory. Comparisons of the measured IRMPD action spectra and B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) linear IR spectra computed for the low-energy conformers indicate that the dominant conformers of [pdThd+H]⁺ and [pUrd+H]⁺ populated in the experiments are protonated at the phosphate oxo oxygen atom, with a syn nucleobase orientation that is stabilized by strong P[double bond, length as m-dash]OH⁺O2 and P-OHO4' hydrogen-bonding interactions, and C2'-endo sugar puckering. Minor abundance of conformers protonated at the O2 carbonyl of the nucleobase residue may also contribute for [pdThd+H]⁺, but do not appear to be important for [pUrd+H]⁺. Comparisons to previous IRMPD spectroscopy investigations of the protonated forms of thymidine and uridine, [dThd+H]⁺ and [Urd+H]⁺, and the deprotonated forms of pdThd and pUrd, [pdThd-H]^- and [pUrd-H]^-, provide insight into the effects of the phosphate moiety and protonation on the conformational features of the nucleobase and sugar moieties. Most interestingly, the thymine and uracil nucleobases remain in their canonical forms for [pdThd+H]⁺ and [pUrd+H]⁺, unlike [dThd+H]⁺ and [Urd+H]⁺, where protonation occurs on the nucleobases and induces tautomerization of the thymine and uracil residues.

IRMPD Action Spectroscopy, ER-CID Experiments, and Theoretical Studies of Sodium Cationized Thymidine and 5-Methyluridine: Kinetic Trapping During the ESI Desolvation Process Preserves the Solution Structure of [Thd+Na]<sup/>

Thymidine (dThd) is a fundamental building block of DNA nucleic acids, whereas 5-methyluridine (Thd) is a common modified nucleoside found in tRNA. In order to determine the conformations of the sodium cationized thymine nucleosides [dThd+Na]⁺ and [Thd+Na]⁺ produced by electrospray ionization, their infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectra are measured. Complementary electronic structure calculations are performed to determine the stable low-energy conformations of these complexes. Geometry optimizations and frequency analyses are performed at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory, whereas energies are calculated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,2p) level of theory. As protonation preferentially stabilizes minor tautomers of dThd and Thd, tautomerization facilitated by Na⁺ binding is also considered. Comparisons of the measured IRMPD and computed IR spectra find that [dThd+Na]⁺ prefers tridentate (O2,O4',O5') coordination to the canonical 2,4-diketo form of dThd with thymine in a syn orientation. In contrast, [Thd+Na]⁺ prefers bidentate (O2,O2') coordination to the canonical 2,4-diketo tautomer of Thd with thymine in an anti orientation. Although 2,4-dihydroxy tautomers and O2 protonated thymine nucleosides coexist in the gas phase, no evidence for minor tautomers is observed for the sodium cationized species. Consistent with experimental observations, the computational results confirm that the sodium cationized thymine nucleosides exhibit a strong preference for the canonical form of the thymine nucleobase. Survival yield analyses based on energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation (ER-CID) experiments suggest that the relative stabilities of protonated and sodium cationized dThd and Thd follow the order [dThd+H]⁺ < [Thd+H]⁺ < [dThd+Na]⁺ < [Thd+Na]⁺. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Effects of sodium cationization versus protonation on the conformations and N-glycosidic bond stabilities of sodium cationized Urd and dUrd: solution conformation of [Urd+Na]+ is preserved upon ESI

Uridine (Urd) is one of the naturally occurring pyrimidine nucleosides of RNA. 2'-Deoxyuridine (dUrd) is a naturally occurring modified form of Urd, but is not one of the canonical DNA nucleosides. In order to understand the effects of sodium cationization on the conformations and energetics of Urd and dUrd, infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed. By comparing the calculated IR spectra of [Urd+Na]⁺ and [dUrd+Na]⁺ with the measured IRMPD spectra, the stable low-energy conformers populated in the experiments are determined. Anti oriented bidentate O2 and O2' binding conformers of [Urd+Na]⁺ are the dominant conformers populated in the experiments, whereas syn oriented tridentate O2, O4', and O5' binding conformers of [dUrd+Na]⁺ are dominantly populated in the experiments. The 2'-hydroxyl substituent of Urd stabilizes the anti oriented O2 binding conformers of [Urd+Na]⁺. Significant differences between the measured IRMPD and calculated IR spectra for complexes of [Urd+Na]⁺ and [dUrd+Na]⁺ involving minor tautomeric forms of the nucleobase make it obvious that none are populated in the experiments. Survival yield analyses based on energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation (ER-CID) experiments suggest that the relative stabilities of protonated and sodium cationized Urd and dUrd follow the order: [dUrd+H]⁺ < [Urd+H]⁺ < [dUrd+Na]⁺ < [Urd+Na]⁺. The 2'-deoxy modification is found to weaken the glycosidic bond of dUrd versus that of Urd for the sodium cationized uridine nucleosides.

Gas-Phase Conformations and N-Glycosidic Bond Stabilities of Sodium Cationized 2'-Deoxyguanosine and Guanosine: Sodium Cations Preferentially Bind to the Guanine Residue

2'-Deoxyguanosine (dGuo) and guanosine (Guo) are fundamental building blocks of DNA and RNA nucleic acids. In order to understand the effects of sodium cationization on the gas-phase conformations and stabilities of dGuo and Guo, infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy experiments and complementary electronic structure calculations are performed. The measured IRMPD spectra of [dGuo+Na]⁺ and [Guo+Na]⁺ are compared to calculated IR spectra predicted for the stable low-energy structures computed for these species to determine the most favorable sodium cation binding sites, identify the structures populated in the experiments, and elucidate the influence of the 2'-hydroxyl substituent on the structures and IRMPD spectral features. These results are compared with those from a previous IRMPD study of the protonated guanine nucleosides to elucidate the differences between sodium cationization and protonation on structure. Energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation (ER-CID) experiments and survival yield analyses of protonated and sodium cationized dGuo and Guo are performed to compare the effects of these cations toward activating the N-glycosidic bonds of these nucleosides. For both [dGuo+Na]⁺ and [Guo+Na]⁺, the gas-phase structures populated in the experiments are found to involve bidentate binding of the sodium cation to the O6 and N7 atoms of guanine, forming a 5-membered chelation ring, with guanine found in both anti and syn orientations and C2'-endo (²T₃ or ³T₂) puckering of the sugar. The ER-CID results, IRMPD yields and the computed C1'-N9 bond lengths indicate that sodium cationization activates the N-glycosidic bond less effectively than protonation for both dGuo and Guo. The 2'-hydroxyl substituent of Guo is found to impact the preferred structures very little except that it enables a 2'OH···3'OH hydrogen bond to be formed, and stabilizes the N-glycosidic bond relative to that of dGuo in both the sodium cationized and protonated complexes.