New approach for pseudo-MS(3) analysis of peptides and proteins via MALDI in-source decay using radical recombination with 1,5-diaminonaphthalene

Sodium-Doped 3-Amino-4-hydroxybenzoic Acid: Rediscovered Matrix for Direct MALDI Glycotyping of O-Linked Glycopeptides and Intact Mucins

3-Amino-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (AHB) was the first matrix identified by glycoprotein glycan analysis using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). However, compared to commonly used matrices, such as 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), AHB is less efficient at glycan ionization and lacks the ability to ionize other molecular species, such as peptides, and thus is no longer used. In this study, we focused on the glycan-selective ionization ability of AHB and its low-noise properties in the low-molecular-weight region, as we expected that these properties could be enhanced by adding sodium to AHB. Sodium-doped AHB (AHB/Na) selectively imparts sodium adduct ions onto O-glycan fragments generated by the in-source decay (ISD) of glycopeptides and glycoproteins containing O-glycans that occurs during intense laser irradiation, enabling direct O-glycan analysis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that it is possible to investigate the internal structure of each O-glycan fragment with pseudo-MS/MS/MS using the sodium adduct ion of the O-glycan-derived ISD fragments from an intact mucin mixture.

Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of MALDI In-Source Decay of Peptides with a Reducing Matrix: What Is the Initial Fragmentation Step?

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) with a reducing matrix is believed to be initiated by hydrogen transfer from the matrix to the peptide. Several new matrices have recently been developed to achieve more efficient MALDI-ISD. In particular, the use of matrices containing aniline groups facilitates MALDI-ISD to a greater extent than that of matrices containing phenol groups, although the N-H bond in aniline is stronger than the O-H bond in phenol. In this study, photoelectron yield spectroscopy of matrix solids revealed that conversion of the phenol group to the aniline group decreased the ionization energy of the matrix solids. Crucially, the use of a matrix with lower ionization energy has been found to result in efficient cleavage at N-Cα and disulfide bonds by MALDI-ISD. Therefore, electron association with the peptide rather than the fragmentation mechanism involving hydrogen atom attachment is proposed as the initial step of the MALDI-ISD process. In this mechanism, electron transfer from the reducing matrix to the peptide produces a peptide anion radical, which provides either a [c_n + H]/[z_m]• or [a_n]•/[y_m + H] fragment pair. Fragmentation of the peptide anion radical strongly depends on the gas-phase acidity of the matrix used. Subsequently, the resultant fragments/radicals underwent a reaction in the MALDI plume, producing observable even-electron ions. Consequently, MALDI-ISD fragments are observed as both positive and negative ions, even though MALDI-ISD with a reducing matrix involves fragmentation of peptide anion radicals. The proposed mechanism is suitable for obtaining a better understanding of the MALDI-ISD process.

Cooperative dissociation of peptide backbones and side-chains during matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay mediated by hydrogen abstraction

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) causes the selective cleavage of C_α -C peptide bonds when an oxidizing matrix is used, and the fragmentation involves the hydrogen abstraction from a peptide by a matrix. The hydrogen abstraction from either an amide nitrogen or β-carbon atom has been proposed to be the initial step leading to the C_α -C bond cleavage. In this regard, the production of [a]⁺ fragments originated upon bond cleavage at the C-terminal side of phenylglycine residues strongly suggested that that the C_α -C bond cleavage occurred through a nitrogen-centered radical intermediate and that the fragmentation through a β-carbon-centered radical intermediate can be ruled out from the MALDI-ISD process, because phenylglycine residues do not contain β-carbon atoms. The C_α -C bond cleavage of such nitrogen-centered radical initially produced an [a]•/[x - H] fragment pair, and then the [a]• radical either reacted with the matrix or underwent loss of the side-chain, leading to [a - H] or [d - H] fragment. The C_α -C bond cleavage at the C-terminal side of phenylglycine and phenylalanine residues only generated [a]⁺ fragments, whereas that of homophenylalanine and S-methylated cysteine residues provided both [a]⁺ and [d]⁺ fragments. The yield of [d]⁺ fragments was dependent on the chemical stability of the resultant radicals formed upon side-chain loss. MALDI-ISD produced [M - H + matrix]⁺ , [M - 16 + H]⁺ , [M - 32 + H]⁺ , and [d]⁺ fragments, when the analyte peptide contained a methionine residue. These fragments were formed upon abstraction of a hydrogen atom from the side-chain of a methionine residue and its subsequent reaction with the matrix. The oxidation of methionine residues suppressed the hydrogen abstraction from their side-chain.

Mass Spectrometric Characterization of Histone H3 Isolated from in-Vitro Reconstituted and Acetylated Nucleosome Core Particle

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histone N-terminal tails in nucleosome core particle (NCP), such as acetylation, play crucial roles in regulating gene expression. To unveil the regulation mechanism, atomic-level structural analysis of in-vitro modified NCP is effective with verifying the PTMs of histones. So far, identification of PTMs of NCP originating from living cells has mainly been performed using mass spectrometry (MS) techniques, such as bottom-up approach. The bottom-up approach is the most established method for protein characterization, but it does not always provide sufficient information on the acetylated sites of lysine residues in the histone tails if trypsin digestion is carried out. For histone proteins, which have many basic amino acids, trypsin generates too many short fragments that cannot be perfectly analyzed by tandem MS. In this study, we investigated the in vitro acetylation sites in the histone H3 tail using a top-down sequence analysis, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) experiment, in combination with aminopeptidase digestion. Aminopeptidase can cleave peptide bonds one-by-one from the N-terminus of peptides or proteins, generating N-terminally truncated peptides and/or proteins. As a result, it was identified that this method enables sequence characterization of the entire region of the H3 tail. Also, application of this method to H3 in in-vitro acetylated NCP enabled assigning acetylation sites of H3. Thus, this method was found to be effective for obtaining information on in-vitro acetylation of NCP for structural biology study.

Improved N- and C-Terminal Sequencing of Proteins by Combining Positive and Negative Ion MALDI In-Source Decay Mass Spectrometry

The development of various ionization and fragmentation techniques has been of key importance for establishing mass spectrometry (MS) as a powerful tool for protein characterization. One example of this is matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) combined with in-source decay (ISD) fragmentation that allows mapping of N- and C-terminal regions of large proteins without the need for proteolysis. Positive ion mode ISD fragments are commonly assigned in the mass region above m/z 1000, while MALDI matrix ions generally hamper the detection of smaller singly charged fragments. The ultrahigh resolving power provided by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MS partially overcomes this limitation, but to further increase the detection of smaller fragments we have revisited the application of negative ion mode MALDI-ISD and found good coverage of the peptide chain termini starting from c'2 and z'2 fragment ions. For the first time, we demonstrate that the combination of negative and positive ion MALDI FT-ICR MS is a useful tool to improve the characterization of mAbs. The different specificities of the two ion modes allowed us to selectively cover the sequence of the light and heavy chains of mAbs at increased sensitivity. A comprehensive evaluation of positive and negative ion mode MALDI-ISD FT-ICR MS in the m/z range 46-13 500 showed an increased sequence coverage for three standard proteins, namely, myoglobin, SiLuLite mAb, and NIST mAb. The data obtained in the two ion modes were, in part, complementary.

Ultraviolet-Laser-Induced Electron Transfer from Peptides to an Oxidizing Matrix: Study of the First Step of MALDI In-Source Decay Mass Spectrometry

Although the N-H bond in peptide backbones is stronger than the C-H bond, hydrogen abstraction from the amide nitrogen is considered to be the initial step in the C_α-C bond cleavage of peptide backbones by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) when using an oxidizing matrix. MALDI-ISD induces C_α-C bond cleavage in most amino acid residues, whereas the N-terminal sides of proline (Pro) residues preferentially undergo peptide bond cleavage, which cannot be explained by the previously proposed mechanism involving hydrogen abstraction from peptides. To explain the whole MALDI-ISD process, electron abstraction from peptides by the oxidizing matrix is proposed as the initial step in the MALDI-ISD process. The electron abstraction occurs from either nitrogen or oxygen in the peptide backbone and induces the cleavage of both C_α-C and N-H bonds in most amino acid residues, except for those on the N-terminal sides of Pro residues. Electron abstraction from the Pro residues induces the cleavage of both peptide and C_α-C bonds, which is consistent with MALDI-ISD experimental results. The electron transfer from the peptide to the oxidizing matrix occurs simultaneously with the formation of matrix ions, which is considered to be the initial ion formation process in MALDI. The resultant peptide radical cation produces protonated and neutral molecules/radicals, which undergo subsequent ion-molecule reactions in the MALDI plume, finally yielding the ions that are observed in MALDI-ISD spectrum. As a result, the fragment ions formed by MALDI-ISD are observed as both positive and negative ions.

Evaluation of Sibling and Twin Fragment Ions Improves the Structural Characterization of Proteins by Top-Down MALDI In-Source Decay Mass Spectrometry

Comprehensive determination of primary sequence and identification of post-translational modifications (PTMs) are key elements in protein structural analysis. Various mass spectrometry (MS) based fragmentation techniques are powerful approaches for mapping both the amino acid sequence and PTMs; one of these techniques is matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), combined with in-source decay (ISD) fragmentation and Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MS. MALDI-ISD MS protein analysis involves only minimal sample preparation and does not require spectral deconvolution. The resulting MALDI-ISD MS data is complementary to electrospray ionization-based MS/MS sequencing readouts, providing knowledge on the types of fragment ions is available. In this study, we evaluate the isotopic distributions of z′ ions in protein top-down MALDI-ISD FT-ICR mass spectra and show why these distributions can deviate from theoretical profiles as a result of co-occurring and isomeric z and y-NH₃ ions. Two synthetic peptides, containing either normal or deuterated alanine residues, were used to confirm the presence and unravel the identity of isomeric z and y-NH₃ fragment ions (“twins”). Furthermore, two reducing MALDI matrices, namely 1,5-diaminonaphthalene and N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine were applied that yield ISD mass spectra with different fragment ion distributions. This study demonstrates that the relative abundance of isomeric z and y-NH₃ ions requires consideration for accurate and confident assignments of z′ ions in MALDI-ISD FT-ICR mass spectra.

General Mechanism of Cα-C Peptide Backbone Bond Cleavage in Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization In-Source Decay Mediated by Hydrogen Abstraction

Nitrogen-centered and β-carbon-centered hydrogen-deficient peptide radicals are considered to be intermediates in the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD)-induced C_α-C bond cleavage of peptide backbones when using an oxidizing matrix. To understand the general mechanism of C_α-C bond cleavage by MALDI-ISD, I study the fragmentation of model peptides and investigate the fragment formation pathways using calculations with density functional theory and transition state theory. The calculations indicate that the nitrogen-centered radical immediately undergoes C_α-C bond cleavage, leading to the formation of an a•/x fragment pair. In contrast, the dissociation of the β-carbon-centered radical is kinetically feasible under MALDI-ISD conditions, leading to the formation of an a/x• fragment pair. To discriminate these processes, I focus on the yield of d fragments, which originate from a• radicals through radical-induced side-chain loss, not from a fragments. The C_α-C bond cleavage on the C-terminal side of the carbamidomethylated cysteine residue is found to produce d fragments instead of a fragments. According to the calculation of the rate constant, the corresponding fragmentation occurs within 1 ns. The intense signal arising from d fragments and the lack of or weak signal from a fragments strongly suggest that the C_α-C bond cleavage occurs through a nitrogen-centered radical intermediate. In addition to the side-chain loss, the resulting a• radical undergoes hydrogen atom abstraction by the matrix. The results for a deuterium-labeled peptide indicate that the matrix abstracts a hydrogen atom from either the amide nitrogen or the β-carbon.

Hydrogen atom attachment to histidine and tryptophan containing peptides in the gas phase

In this study, we focus on the gas-phase fragmentation induced by the attachment of hydrogen atoms to the histidine and tryptophan residue side-chains in the peptide that provides the fragment ions due to C_α–C_β bond cleavage.

The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation in-source decay of peptides using ion mobility enabled quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

In-source decay (ISD) matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) mass spectrometry with a 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (1,5-DAN) matrix is used for the structural characterisation of peptides. However, MALDI spectra are intrinsically complicated by the presence of matrix ions, which interfere with the peptide fragments. This may cause false-positive results or reduced sequence coverage. This paper reports investigations of ISD processes in an intermediate pressure MALDI ion source and a protocol for the removal of interfering ions using ion mobility separation (IMS).

METHODS

An intermediate pressure MALDI source of a Q-IMS-Q-TOF instrument (Synapt G2) has been employed for the ISD of selected peptides using a 1,5-DAN matrix.

RESULTS

Successful coupling of the MALDI source tuned for ISD experiments using IMS is demonstrated. The IMS made it possible to remove interfering matrix ions effectively from the spectra and thus to increase the confidence of spectral interpretation. Extensive fragment series corresponding to N-C_α bond cleavages were observed under optimised conditions; on the other hand, weaker series of ions caused by peptide bond cleavages were prevalent for default conditions and/or the α-hydroxycinnamic acid matrix.

CONCLUSIONS

Ion mobility has been used for the elimination of matrix ions. The technique has been applied to top-down sequencing of non-tryptic peptides, such as the human palmitoylated analogue of prolactin-releasing peptide used in recent obesity studies, and human and insect antimicrobial peptides.

Cracking the Sugar Code by Mass Spectrometry : An Invited Perspective in Honor of Dr. Catherine E. Costello, Recipient of the 2017 ASMS Distinguished Contribution Award

The structural study of glycans and glycoconjugates is essential to assign their roles in homeostasis, health, and disease. Once dominated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometric methods have become the preferred toolbox for the determination of glycan structures at high sensitivity. The patterns of such structures in different cellular states now allow us to interpret the sugar codes in health and disease, based on structure-function relationships. Dr. Catherine E. Costello was the 2017 recipient of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry's Distinguished Contribution Award. In this Perspective article, we describe her seminal work in a historical and geographical context and review the impact of her research accomplishments in the field.8 ᅟ Graphical abstract.

Fundamental study of hydrogen-attachment-induced peptide fragmentation occurring in the gas phase and during the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization process

Mass spectrometry with hydrogen-radical-mediated fragmentation techniques has been used for the sequencing of proteins/peptides.

To4, the first Tityus obscurus β-toxin fully electrophysiologically characterized on human sodium channel isoforms

Many scorpion toxins that act on sodium channels (NaScTxs) have been characterized till date. These toxins may act modulating the inactivation or the activation of sodium channels and are named α- or β-types, respectively. Some venom toxins from Tityus obscurus (Buthidae), a scorpion widely distributed in the Brazilian Amazon, have been partially characterized in previous studies; however, little information about their electrophysiological role on sodium ion channels has been published. In the present study, we describe the purification, identification and electrophysiological characterization of a NaScTx, which was first described as Tc54 and further fully sequenced and renamed To4. This toxin shows a marked β-type effect on different sodium channel subtypes (hNa_v1.1-hNa_v1.7) at low concentrations, and has more pronounced activity on hNa_v1.1, hNa_v1.2 and hNa_v1.4. By comparing To4 primary structure with other Tityus β-toxins which have already been electrophysiologically tested, it is possible to establish some key amino acid residues for the sodium channel activity. Thus, To4 is the first toxin from T. obscurus fully electrophysiologically characterized on different human sodium channel isoforms.

Top-down proteomics for the analysis of proteolytic events - Methods, applications and perspectives

Mass spectrometry based proteomics is an indispensable tool for almost all research areas relevant for the understanding of proteolytic processing, ranging from the identification of substrates, products and cleavage sites up to the analysis of structural features influencing protease activity. The majority of methods for these studies are based on bottom-up proteomics performing analysis at peptide level. As this approach is characterized by a number of pitfalls, e.g. loss of molecular information, there is an ongoing effort to establish top-down proteomics, performing separation and MS analysis both at intact protein level. We briefly introduce major approaches of bottom-up proteomics used in the field of protease research and highlight the shortcomings of these methods. We then discuss the present state-of-the-art of top-down proteomics. Together with the discussion of known challenges we show the potential of this approach and present a number of successful applications of top-down proteomics in protease research. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteolysis as a Regulatory Event in Pathophysiology edited by Stefan Rose-John.

Direct MALDI-MS analysis of the disulfide bonds in peptide using thiosalicylic acid as a reactive matrix

The ability of a thiol-containing molecule, thiosalicylic acid (TSA), to function as a reactive matrix for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry analysis of peptides has been investigated. Although TSA has reducing characteristics, the use of TSA did not cause a reduction-induced MALDI in-source decay, probably because of the weak interactions between the thiol group in TSA and the carboxyl oxygen in the peptide. In contrast, when peptides containing disulfide bonds were analyzed by MALDI with TSA as the matrix, the disulfide bond was partially cleaved owing to the reaction with TSA, producing TSA-adducted peptides. The reaction between the disulfide bond and TSA was suggested to be occurred in solution. The comparison of the MALDI mass spectra obtained using conventional matrix and TSA allows us to count the number of disulfide bonds in the peptides. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Principles of hydrogen radical mediated peptide/protein fragmentation during matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) is a very easy way to obtain large sequence tags and, thereby, reliable identification of peptides and proteins. Recently discovered new matrices have enhanced the MALDI-ISD yield and opened new research avenues. The use of reducing and oxidizing matrices for MALDI-ISD of peptides and proteins favors the production of fragmentation pathways involving "hydrogen-abundant" and "hydrogen-deficient" radical precursors, respectively. Since an oxidizing matrix provides information on peptide/protein sequences complementary to that obtained with a reducing matrix, MALDI-ISD employing both reducing and oxidizing matrices is a potentially useful strategy for de novo peptide sequencing. Moreover, a pseudo-MS(3) method provides sequence information about N- and C-terminus extremities in proteins and allows N- and C-terminal side fragments to be discriminated within the complex MALDI-ISD mass spectrum. The combination of high mass resolution of a Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) analyzer and the software suitable for MALDI-ISD facilitates the interpretation of MALDI-ISD mass spectra. A deeper understanding of the MALDI-ISD process is necessary to fully exploit this method. Thus, this review focuses first on the mechanisms underlying MALDI-ISD processes, followed by a discussion of MALDI-ISD applications in the field of proteomics. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 35:535-556, 2016.

Estimation of peptide N-Cα bond cleavage efficiency during MALDI-ISD using a cyclic peptide

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) induces N-Cα bond cleavage via hydrogen transfer from the matrix to the peptide backbone, which produces a c'/z• fragment pair. Subsequently, the z• generates z' and [z + matrix] fragments via further radical reactions because of the low stability of the z•. In the present study, we investigated MALDI-ISD of a cyclic peptide. The N-Cα bond cleavage in the cyclic peptide by MALDI-ISD produced the hydrogen-abundant peptide radical [M + 2H](+) • with a radical site on the α-carbon atom, which then reacted with the matrix to give [M + 3H](+) and [M + H + matrix](+) . For 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (1,5-DAN) adducts with z fragments, post-source decay of [M + H + 1,5-DAN](+) generated from the cyclic peptide showed predominant loss of an amino acid with 1,5-DAN. Additionally, MALDI-ISD with Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry allowed for the detection of both [M + 3H](+) and [M + H](+) with two (13) C atoms. These results strongly suggested that [M + 3H](+) and [M + H + 1,5-DAN](+) were formed by N-Cα bond cleavage with further radical reactions. As a consequence, the cleavage efficiency of the N-Cα bond during MALDI-ISD could be estimated by the ratio of the intensity of [M + H](+) and [M + 3H](+) in the Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance spectrum. Because the reduction efficiency of a matrix for the cyclic peptide cyclo(Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Val) was correlated to its tendency to cleave the N-Cα bond in linear peptides, the present method could allow the evaluation of the efficiency of N-Cα bond cleavage for MALDI matrix development. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Full validation of therapeutic antibody sequences by middle-up mass measurements and middle-down protein sequencing

The regulatory bodies request full sequence data assessment both for innovator and biosimilar monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Full sequence coverage is typically used to verify the integrity of the analytical data obtained following the combination of multiple LC-MS/MS datasets from orthogonal protease digests (so called “bottom-up” approaches). Top-down or middle-down mass spectrometric approaches have the potential to minimize artifacts, reduce overall analysis time and provide orthogonality to this traditional approach. In this work we report a new combined approach involving middle-up LC-QTOF and middle-down LC-MALDI in-source decay (ISD) mass spectrometry. This was applied to cetuximab, panitumumab and natalizumab, selected as representative US Food and Drug Administration- and European Medicines Agency-approved mAbs. The goal was to unambiguously confirm their reference sequences and examine the general applicability of this approach. Furthermore, a new measure for assessing the integrity and validity of results from middle-down approaches is introduced – the “Sequence Validation Percentage.” Full sequence data assessment of the 3 antibodies was achieved enabling all 3 sequences to be fully validated by a combination of middle-up molecular weight determination and middle-down protein sequencing. Three errors in the reference amino acid sequence of natalizumab, causing a cumulative mass shift of only −2 Da in the natalizumab Fd domain, were corrected as a result of this work.