Size-to-charge dispersion of collision-induced dissociation product ions for enhancement of structural information and product ion identification

Ag+ Ion Binding to Human Metallothionein-2A Is Cooperative and Domain Specific

Metallothioneins (MTs) constitute a family of cysteine-rich proteins that play key biological roles for a wide range of metal ions, but unlike many other metalloproteins, the structures of apo- and partially metalated MTs are not well understood. Here, we combine nano-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and nano-ESI-ion mobility (IM)-MS with collision-induced unfolding (CIU), chemical labeling using N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), and both bottom-up and top-down proteomics in an effort to better understand the metal binding sites of the partially metalated forms of human MT-2A, viz., Ag4-MT. The results for Ag4-MT are then compared to similar results obtained for Cd4-MT. The results show that Ag4-MT is a cooperative product, and data from top-down and bottom-up proteomics mass spectrometry analysis combined with NEM labeling revealed that all four Ag+ ions of Ag4-MT are bound to the β-domain. The binding sites are identified as Cys13, Cys15, Cys19, Cys21, Cys24, and Cys26. While both Ag+ and Cd2+ react with MT to yield cooperative products, i.e., Ag4-MT and Cd4-MT, these products are very different; Ag+ ions of Ag4-MT are located in the β-domain, whereas Cd2+ ions of Cd4-MT are located in the α-domain. Ag6-MT has been reported to be fully metalated in the β-domain, but our data suggest the two additional Ag+ ions are more weakly bound than are the other four. Higher order Agi-MT complexes (i = 7-17) are formed in solutions that contain excess Ag+ ions, and these are assumed to be bound to the α-domain or shared between the two domains. Interestingly, the excess Ag+ ions are displaced upon addition of NEM to this solution to yield predominantly Ag4NEM14-MT. Results from CIU suggest that Agi-MT complexes are structurally more ordered and that the energy required to unfold these complexes increases as the number of coordinated Ag+ increases.

Characterization of Membrane Protein-Lipid Interactions by Mass Spectrometry Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

Lipids in the biological membrane can modulate the structure and function of integral and peripheral membrane proteins. Distinguishing individual lipids that bind selectively to membrane protein complexes from an ensemble of lipid-bound species remains a daunting task. Recently, ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has proven to be invaluable for interrogating the interactions between protein and individual lipids, where the complex undergoes collision induced unfolding followed by quantification of the unfolding pathway to assess the effect of these interactions. However, gas-phase unfolding experiments for membrane proteins are typically performed on the entire ensemble (apo and lipid bound species), raising uncertainty to the contribution of individual lipids and the species that are ejected in the unfolding process. Here, we describe the application of mass spectrometry ion mobility mass spectrometry (MS-IM-MS) for isolating ions corresponding to lipid-bound states of a model integral membrane protein, ammonia channel (AmtB) from Escherichia coli. Free of ensemble effects, MS-IM-MS reveals that bound lipids are ejected as neutral species; however, no correlation was found between the lipid-induced stabilization of complex and their equilibrium binding constants. In comparison to data obtained by IM-MS, there are surprisingly limited differences in stability measurements from IM-MS and MS-IM-MS. The approach described here to isolate ions of membrane protein complexes will be useful for other MS methods, such as surface induced dissociation or collision induced dissociation to determine the stoichiometry of hetero-oligomeric membrane protein complexes. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Mass spectrometric studies on the interaction of cisplatin and insulin

The interaction of antitumor drug, cisplatin (cis-[PtCl2(NH3)2], CDDP) with insulin from porcine pancreas has been investigated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and high resolution hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALIDI-TOF/TOF-MS and ESI-IT/TOF MS). The MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS results demonstrated that the presence of cisplatin complex resulted in the reduction of the disulfide bond in porcine pancreas after the incubations of the two substances were performed in vitro. It indicated that the presence of cisplatin would destroy the native configuration of insulin, which may lead to the inactivation of insulin. High resolution mass values and the characteristic isotopic pattern of the platinated insulin ions allowed the analysis of platinated mono-, di- and triadducts of cisplatin and insulin in the incubations under different conditions. The laser-induced dissociation of the monoadduct obtained in MALDI source was carried out and one platinum was found to bind to insulin B chain was determined. The platinum binding sites were further identified to be the N terminus (B chain), cysteine 7 (B chain) and cysteine 19 (B chain) residues by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The identification of the interaction between insulin and cisplatin broadens the horizon of the knowledge in the interaction of the proteins and metallodrugs.