Investigating protein folding and unfolding in electrospray nanodrops upon rapid mixing using theta-glass emitters

Native top-down mass spectrometry for monitoring the rapid chymotrypsin catalyzed hydrolysis reaction

Enzymes play crucial roles in life sciences, pharmaceuticals and industries as biological catalysts that speed up biochemical reactions in living organisms. New catalytic reactions are continuously developed by enzymatic engineering to meet industrial needs, which thereby drives the development of analytical approaches for real-time reaction monitoring to reveal catalytic processes. Here, taking the hydrolase- chymotrypsin as a model system, we proposed a convenient method for monitoring catalytic processes through native top-down mass spectrometry (native TDMS). The chymotrypsin sample heterogeneity was first explored. By altering sample introduction modes and pHs, covalent and noncovalent enzymatic complexes, substrates and products can be monitored during the catalysis and further confirmed by tandem MS. Our results demonstrated that native TDMS based catalysis monitoring has distinctive strength on real-time inspection and continuous observation, making it a promising tool for characterizing more biocatalysts.

Interfacial Electromigration for Analysis of Biofluid Lipids in Small Volumes

Lipids are important biomarkers within the field of disease diagnostics and can serve as indicators of disease progression and predictors of treatment effectiveness. Although lipids can provide important insight into how diseases initiate and progress, mass spectrometric methods for lipid characterization and profiling are limited due to lipid structural diversity, particularly the presence of various lipid isomers. Moreover, the difficulty of handling small-volume samples exacerbates the intricacies of biological analyses. In this work, we have developed a strategy that electromigrates a thin film of a small-volume biological sample directly to the air-liquid interface formed at the tip of a theta capillary. Importantly, we seamlessly integrated in situ biological lipid extraction with accelerated chemical derivatization, enabled by the air-liquid interface, and conducted isomeric structural characterization within a unified platform utilizing theta capillary nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry, all tailored for small-volume sample analysis. We applied this unified platform to the analysis of lipids from small-volume human plasma and Alzheimer's disease mouse serum samples. Accelerated electro-epoxidation of unsaturated lipids at the interface allowed us to characterize lipid double-bond positional isomers. The unique application of electromigration of a thin film to the air-liquid interface in combination with accelerated interfacial reactions holds great potential in small-volume sample analysis for disease diagnosis and prevention.

Harnessing the High Interfacial Electric Fields on Water Microdroplets to Accelerate Menshutkin Reactions

Even though it is still an emerging field, the application of a high external electric field (EEF) as a green and efficient catalyst in synthetic chemistry has recently received significant attention for the ability to deliver remarkable control of reaction selectivity and acceleration of reaction rates. Here, we extend the application of the EEF to Menshutkin reactions by taking advantage of the spontaneous high electric field at the air-water interfaces of sprayed water microdroplets. Experimentally, a series of Menshutkin reactions were accelerated by 7 orders of magnitude. Theoretically, both density functional theory calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations predict that the reaction barrier decreases significantly in the presence of oriented external electric fields, thereby supporting the notion that the electric fields in the water droplets are responsible for the catalysis. In addition, the ordered solvent and reactant molecules oriented by the electric field alleviate the steric effect of solvents and increase the successful collision rates, thus facilitating faster nucleophilic attack. The success of Menshutkin reactions in this study showcases the great potential of microdroplet chemistry for green synthesis.

Variable Mixing with Theta Emitter Mass Spectrometry: Changing Solution Flow Rates with Emitter Position

Two solutions can be rapidly mixed using theta glass emitters, with products measured using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The relative flow rates of the two emitter channels can be measured using different calibration compounds in each channel, or the flow rates are often assumed to be the same. The relative flow rates of each channel can be essentially the same when the emitters are positioned directly in front of the capillary entrance of a mass spectrometer, but the relative flow rates can be varied by up to 3 orders of magnitude by moving the position of the emitter tip ±1 cm in a direction that is perpendicular to the inner divider. Results of the emitter position on the different concentrations of reagents in the initially formed electrospray droplets are demonstrated through protein denaturation using a supercharging reagent as well as two different bimolecular reactions. The average charge state of myoglobin changed from +7.8 to +13.8 when 2.5% sulfolane was mixed with a 200 mM ammonium acetate solution containing the protein when the position of the emitter was scanned in front of the mass spectrometer inlet. The conversion ratio of a bimolecular reaction was changed from 0.98 to 0.04 with varying emitter positions. These results show that the relative flow rates must be carefully monitored because the droplet composition depends strongly on the position of the theta glass emitters. This method can be used to measure the dependence of reaction kinetics on different solution concentrations by using a single emitter and only two solutions.

In-droplet hydrogen-deuterium exchange to examine protein/peptide solution conformer heterogeneity

RATIONALE

Many different structure analysis techniques are not capable of probing the heterogeneity of solution conformations. Here, we examine the ability of in-droplet hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) to directly probe solution conformer heterogeneity of a protein with mass spectrometry (MS) detection.

METHODS

Two vibrating capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) devices have been arranged such that they generate microdroplet plumes of the analyte and D₂ O reagent, which coalesce to form reaction droplets where HDX takes place in the solution environment. The native HDX-MS setup has been first explored for two model peptides that have distinct structural compositions in solution. The effectiveness of the multidevice cVSSI-HDX in illustrating structural details has been further exploited to investigate coexisting solution-phase conformations of the protein ubiquitin.

RESULTS

In-droplet HDX reveals decreased backbone exchange for a model peptide that has a greater helix-forming propensity. Differences in intrinsic rates of the alanine and serine residues may account for much of the observed protection. The data allow the first estimates of backbone exchange rates for peptides undergoing in-droplet HDX. That said, the approach may hold greater potential for investigating the tertiary structure and structural transitions of proteins. For ubiquitin protein, HDX reactivity differences suggest that multiple conformers are present in native solutions. The addition of methanol to buffered aqueous solutions of ubiquitin results in increased populations of solution conformers of higher reactivity. Data analysis suggests that partially folded conformers such as the A-state of ubiquitin increase with methanol content; the native state may be preserved to a limited degree even under stronger denaturation conditions.

CONCLUSION

The deuterium uptake after in-droplet HDX has been observed to correspond to some degree with peptide backbone hydrogen protection based on differences in intrinsic rates of exchange. The presence of coexisting protein solution structures under native and denaturing solution conditions has been distinguished by the isotopic distributions of deuterated ubiquitin ions.

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange for the analysis of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates and glycans are integral to many biological processes, including cell-cell recognition and energy storage. However, carbohydrates are often difficult to analyze due to the high degree of isomerism present. One method being developed to distinguish these isomeric species is hydrogen/deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry (HDX-MS). In HDX-MS, carbohydrates are exposed to a deuterated reagent and the functional groups with labile hydrogen atoms, including hydroxyls and amides, exchange with the 1 amu heavier isotope, deuterium. These labels can then be detected by MS, which monitors the mass increase with the addition of D-labels. The observed rate of exchange is dependent on the exchanging functional group, the accessibility of the exchanging functional group, and the presence of hydrogen bonds. Herein, we discuss how HDX has been applied in the solution-phase, gas-phase, and during MS ionization to label carbohydrates and glycans. Additionally, we compare differences in the conformations that are labeled, the labeling timeframes, and applications of each of these methods. Finally, we comment on future opportunities for development and use of HDX-MS to analyze glycans and glycoconjugates.

The role of analyte concentration in accelerated reaction rates in evaporating droplets

Accelerated reactions in microdroplets have been reported for a wide range of reactions with some microdroplet reactions occurring over a million times faster than the same reaction in bulk solution. Unique chemistry at the air-water interface has been implicated as a primary factor for accelerated reaction rates, but the role of analyte concentration in evaporating droplets has not been as well studied. Here, theta-glass electrospray emitters and mass spectrometry are used to rapidly mix two solutions on the low to sub-microsecond time scale and produce aqueous nanodrops with different sizes and lifetimes. We demonstrate that for a simple bimolecular reaction where surface chemistry does not appear to play a role, reaction rate acceleration factors are between 10² and 10⁷ for different initial solution concentrations, and these values do not depend on nanodrop size. A rate acceleration factor of 10⁷ is among the highest reported and can be attributed to concentration of analyte molecules, initially far apart in dilute solution, but brought into close proximity in the nanodrop through evaporation of solvent from the nanodrops prior to ion formation. These data indicate that analyte concentration phenomenon is a significant factor in reaction acceleration where droplet volume throughout the experiment is not carefully controlled.

Electrochemically Etched Tapered-Tip Stainless-Steel Electrospray-Ionization Emitters for Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry

We have used household consumables to facilitate electrochemical etching of stainless-steel hypodermic tubing to produce tapered-tip emitters suitable for electrospray ionization for use in mass spectrometry. The process involves the use of 1% oxalic acid and a 5 W USB power adapter, commonly known as a phone charger. Further, our method avoids the otherwise commonly used strong acids that entail chemical hazards: concentrated HNO₃ for etching stainless steel, or concentrated HF for etching fused silica. Hence, we here provide a convenient and self-inhibiting procedure with minimal chemical hazards to manufacture tapered-tip stainless-steel emitters. We show its performance in metabolomic analysis with CE-MS of a tissue homogenate where the metabolites acetylcarnitine, arginine, carnitine, creatine, homocarnosine, and valerylcarnitine were identified, all with basepeak separated electropherograms, within <6 min of separation. The mass spectrometry data are freely available through the MetaboLight public data repository via access number MTBLS7230.

Scanning pH-metry for Observing Reversibility in Protein Folding

One of the main factors affecting protein structure in solution is pH. Traditionally, to study pH-dependent conformational changes in proteins, the concentration of the H+ ions is adjusted manually, complicating real-time analyses, hampering dynamic pH regulation, and consequently leading to a limited number of tested pH levels. Here, we present a programmable device, a scanning pH-meter, that can automatically generate different types of pH ramps and waveforms in a solution. A feedback loop algorithm calculates the required flow rates of the acid/base titrants, allowing one, for example, to generate periodic pH sine waveforms to study the reversibility of protein folding by fluorescence spectroscopy. Interestingly, for some proteins, the fluorescence intensity profiles recorded in such a periodically oscillating pH environment display hysteretic behavior indicating an asymmetry in the sequence of the protein unfolding/refolding events, which can most likely be attributed to their distinct kinetics. Another useful application of the scanning pH-meter concerns coupling it with an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer to observe pH-induced structural changes in proteins as revealed by their varying charge-state distributions. We anticipate a broad range of applications of the scanning pH-meter developed here, including protein folding studies, determination of the optimum pH for achieving maximum fluorescence intensity, and characterization of fluorescent dyes and other synthetic materials.

Water promoted 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl detachment from amino acids in charged microdroplets

Aqueous microdroplets exhibit unique properties and can trigger reactions that do not occur in bulk solution. Herein, we have demonstrated that water, in microdroplets, can reduce the energy barrier for the lone H transfer of 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl and promote its detachment from the amino group. This strategy works on various amino acids and opens opportunities of aqueous microdroplets in triggering organic reactions.

Electromembrane Extraction and Dual-Channel Nanoelectrospray Ionization Coupled with a Miniature Mass Spectrometer: Incorporation of a Dicationic Ionic Liquid-Induced Charge Inversion Strategy

Green analytical chemistry aims at developing analytical methods with minimum use and generation of hazardous substances for the protection of human health and the environment. To address this need, a green analytical protocol has been developed for the analysis of anionic compounds integrating electromembrane extraction (EME), dual-channel nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI), and a miniature mass spectrometer. Haloacetic acids (HAAs) have attracted considerable public concern due to their adverse effects on human health and were selected as model analytes for method development. A flat membrane EME device was developed and assembled in-house. Optimization of fundamental operational parameters was performed using single-factor test and response surface methodology. Both the EME acceptor phase and an imidazolium-based dicationic ionic liquid (DIL), 1,1-bis(3-methylimidazolium-1-yl) butylene difluoride (C₄(MIM)₂F₂), were subjected to dual-channel nanoESI and miniature mass spectrometry analysis based on a charge inversion strategy, where positively charged complexes were formed. Enhancement in signal intensity by as much as 2 magnitudes was achieved in the positive-ion mode compared to the negative-ion mode in the absence of the dicationic ion-pairing agent. The developed protocol was validated, obtaining good recoveries ranging from 82.7 to 109.9% and satisfactory sensitivity with limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) in the ranges of 1-5 and 2-10 μg/L, respectively. The greenness of the analytical procedure was assessed with a calculated score of 0.71, indicating a high degree of greenness. The developed method was applied to the analysis of real environmental or municipal water samples (n = 16), exhibiting appealing potential for outside-the-laboratory applications.

A novel methodology and strategy to detect low molecular aldehydes in beer based on charged microdroplet driving online derivatization and high resolution mass spectrometry

The concentration of aldehydes is one of the important indicators in the food quality and safety. To efficiently analyze the four aldehydes (methanal, ethanal, propanal and n-butanal) in beer, charged microdroplet driving online derivatization apparatus coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry was firstly developed. Utilizing the high-speed reaction accelerated by microdroplets, the offline derivative of aldehydes with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in bulk was transferred into online derivatization. The developed method featured acceptable linearities (R² ≥ 0.95), high sensitivities (LODs at ng mL^-1 level) and qualified precisions (RSDs ≤ 8.4 %) for target compounds. Four aldehydes with trace amount were successfully determined in beer. The results indicated that the novel online analytical strategy did not require complex sample preparation and could conduct simple, rapid, sensitive detection of small molecule aldehydes with high throughput in beer or even other food samples.

In-Source Microdroplet Derivatization Using Coaxial Contained-Electrospray Mass Spectrometry for Enhanced Sensitivity in Saccharide Analysis

Online, droplet-based in-source chemical derivatization is accomplished using a coaxial-flow contained-electrospray ionization (contained-ESI) source to enhance sensitivity for the mass spectrometric analysis of saccharides. Derivatization is completed in microseconds by exploiting the reaction rate acceleration afforded by electrospray microdroplets. Significant improvements in method sensitivity are realized with minimal sample preparation and few resources when compared to traditional benchtop derivatizations. For this work, the formation of easily ionizable phenylboronate ester derivatives of several mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides is achieved. Various reaction parameters including concentration and pH were evaluated, and a Design of Experiments approach was used to optimize ion source parameters. Signal enhancements of greater than two orders of magnitude were observed for many mono- and disaccharides using in-source phenylboronic acid derivatization, resulting in parts-per-trillion (picomolar) limits of detection. In addition, amino sugars such as glucosamine, which do not ionize in negative mode, were detected at low parts-per-billion concentrations, and isobaric sugars such as lactose and sucrose were easily distinguished. The new in-source derivatization approach can be employed to expand the utility of ESI-MS analysis for compounds that historically experience limited sensitivity and detectability, while avoiding resource-intensive, bulk-phase derivatization procedures.

Protein-Small Molecule Interactions in Native Mass Spectrometry

Small molecule drug discovery has been propelled by the continual development of novel scientific methodologies to occasion therapeutic advances. Although established biophysical methods can be used to obtain information regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying drug action, these approaches are often inefficient, low throughput, and ineffective in the analysis of heterogeneous systems including dynamic oligomeric assemblies and proteins that have undergone extensive post-translational modification. Native mass spectrometry can be used to probe protein-small molecule interactions with unprecedented speed and sensitivity, providing unique insights into polydisperse biomolecular systems that are commonly encountered during the drug discovery process. In this review, we describe potential and proven applications of native MS in the study of interactions between small, drug-like molecules and proteins, including large multiprotein complexes and membrane proteins. Approaches to quantify the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of ligand binding are discussed, alongside a summary of gas-phase ion activation techniques that have been used to interrogate the structure of protein-small molecule complexes. We additionally highlight some of the key areas in modern drug design for which native mass spectrometry has elicited significant advances. Future developments and applications of native mass spectrometry in drug discovery workflows are identified, including potential pathways toward studying protein-small molecule interactions on a whole-proteome scale.

Characterizing Multidevice Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization for In-Droplet Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange to Enhance Compound Identification

Multidevice capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) source parameters have been examined to determine their effects on conducting in-droplet hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments. Control experiments using select compounds indicate that the observed differences in mass spectral isotopic distributions obtained upon initiation of HDX result primarily from solution-phase reactions as opposed to gas-phase exchange. Preliminary studies have determined that robust HDX can only be achieved with the application of same-polarity voltage to both the analyte and the deuterium oxide reagent (D₂O) cVSSI devices. Additionally, a similar HDX reactivity dependence on the voltage applied to the D₂O device for various analytes is observed. Analyte and reagent flow experiments show that, for the multidevice cVSSI setup employed, there is a nonlinear dependence on the D₂O reagent flow rate; increasing the D₂O reagent flow by 100% results in only an ∼10-20% increase in deuterium incorporation for this setup. Instantaneous (subsecond) response times have been demonstrated in the initiation or termination of HDX, which is achieved by turning on or off the reagent cVSSI device piezoelectric transducer. The ability to distinguish isomeric species by in-droplet HDX is presented. Finally, a demonstration of a three-component cVSSI device setup to perform multiple (successive or in combination) in-droplet chemistries to enhance compound ionization and identification is presented and a hypothetical metabolomics workflow consisting of successive multidevice activation is briefly discussed.

Thermal Analysis of a Mixture of Ribosomal Proteins by vT-ESI-MS: Toward a Parallel Approach for Characterizing the Stabilitome

The thermal stabilities of endogenous, intact proteins and protein assemblies in complex mixtures were characterized in parallel by means of variable-temperature electrospray ionization coupled to mass spectrometry (vT-ESI-MS). The method is demonstrated by directly measuring the melting transitions of seven proteins from a mixture of proteins derived from ribosomes. A proof-of-concept measurement of a fraction of an Escherichia coli lysate is provided to extend this approach to characterize the thermal stability of a proteome. As the solution temperature is increased, proteins and protein complexes undergo structural and organizational transitions; for each species, the folded ↔ unfolded and assembled ↔ disassembled populations are monitored based on changes in vT-ESI-MS charge state distributions and masses. The robustness of the approach illustrates a step toward the proteome-wide characterization of thermal stabilities and structural transitions-the stabilitome.

Ambient microdroplet annealing of nanoparticles

Conversion of polydisperse nanoparticles to their monodisperse analogues and formation of organized superstructures using them involve post synthetic modifications, and the process is generally slow. We show that ambient electrospray of preformed polydisperse nanoparticles makes them monodisperse and the product nanoparticles self-assemble spontaneously to form organized films, all within seconds. This phenomenon has been demonstrated with thiol-protected polydisperse silver nanoparticles of 15 ± 10 nm diameter. Uniform silver nanoparticles of 4.0 ± 0.5 nm diameter were formed after microdroplet spray, and this occurred without added chemicals, templates, and temperature, and within the time needed for electrospray, which was of the order of seconds. Well organized nanoparticle assemblies were obtained from such uniform particles. A home-made and simple nanoelectrospray set-up produced charged microdroplets for the generation of such nanostructures, forming cm² areas of uniform nanoparticles. A free-standing thin film of monodisperse silver nanoparticles was also made on a liquid surface by controlling the electrospray conditions. This unique method may be extended for the creation of advanced materials of many kinds.

Polydisperse silver nanoparticles were converted to a highly ordered assembly of nanoparticles by microdroplet-induced chemistry, under ambient conditions, within seconds.

Recent Advances of In-Source Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry

Hyphenation of electrochemistry (EC) and mass spectrometry has become a powerful tool to study redox processes. Approaches that can achieve this hyphenation include integrating chromatography/electrophoresis between electroinduced redox reactions and detection of products, coupling an EC flow cell to a mass spectrometer, and performing electrochemical reactions inside the ion source of a mass spectrometer. The first two approaches have been well reviewed elsewhere. This Minireview highlights the inherent electrochemical properties of many mass spectrometry ion sources and their roles in the coupling of electrochemistry and mass spectrometric analysis. Development of modified ion sources that allow the compatibility of electrochemistry with ionization processes is also surveyed. Applications of different in-source electrochemical devices are provided including intermediate capturing, bioanalytical studies, nanoparticle formation, electrosynthesis, and electrode imaging.

Effects of Electrospray Droplet Size on Analyte Aggregation: Evidence for Serine Octamer in Solution

Spraying solutions of serine under a wide variety of conditions results in unusually abundant gaseous octamer clusters that exhibit significant homochiral specificity, but the extent to which these clusters exist in solution or are formed by clustering during droplet evaporation has been debated. Electrospray ionization emitters with tip sizes between 210 nm and 9.2 μm were used to constrain the number of serine molecules that droplets initially contain. Protonated octamer was observed for all tip sizes with 10 mM serine solution, but the abundance decreases from 10% of the serine population at the largest tip size to ∼5.6% for the two smallest tip sizes. At 100 μM, the population abundance of the protonated serine octamer decreases from 1% to 0.6% from the largest to the smallest tip size, respectively. At 100 μM, fewer than 10% of the initial droplets should contain even a single analyte molecule with 210 nm emitter tips. These results indicate that the majority of protonated octamer observed in mass spectra under previous conditions is formed by clustering inside the electrospray droplet, but ≤5.6% and ∼0.6% of serine exists as an octamer complex in 10 mM and 100 μM solutions, respectively. These results show that aggregation occurs in large droplets, but this aggregation can be eliminated using emitters with sufficiently small tips. Use of these emitters with small tips is advantageous for clearly distinguishing between species that exist in solution and species formed by clustering inside droplets as solvent evaporation occurs.

A critical analysis of electrospray techniques for the determination of accelerated rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions in droplets

Electrospray and Electrosonic Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS and ESSI-MS) have been widely used to report evidence that many chemical reactions in micro- and nano-droplets are dramatically accelerated by factors of ∼102 to 106 relative to macroscale bulk solutions. Despite electrospray's relative simplicity to both generate and detect reaction products in charged droplets using mass spectrometry, substantial complexity exists in how the electrospray process itself impacts the interpretation of the mechanism of these observed accelerated rates. ESI and ESSI are both coupled multi-phase processes, in which analytes in small charged droplets are transferred and detected as gas-phase ions with a mass spectrometer. As such, quantitative examination is needed to evaluate the impact of multiple experimental factors on the magnitude and mechanisms of reaction acceleration. These include: (1) evaporative concentration of reactants as a function of droplet size and initial concentration, (2) competition from gas-phase chemistry and reactions on experimental surfaces, (3) differences in ionization efficiency and ion transmission and (4) droplet charge. We examine (1-4) using numerical models, new ESI/ESSI-MS experimental data, and prior literature to assess the limitations of these approaches and the experimental best practices required to robustly interpret acceleration factors in micro- and nano-droplets produced by ESI and ESSI.

Accelerated Reaction Kinetics in Microdroplets: Overview and Recent Developments

Various organic reactions, including important synthetic reactions involving C-C, C-N, and C-O bond formation as well as reactions of biomolecules, are accelerated when the reagents are present in sprayed or levitated microdroplets or in thin films. The reaction rates increase by orders of magnitude with decreasing droplet size or film thickness. The effect is associated with reactions at the solution-air interface. A key factor is partial solvation of the reagents at the interface, which reduces the critical energy for reaction. This phenomenon is of intrinsic interest and potentially of practical value as a simple, rapid method of performing small-scale synthesis.

Sample Flow Rate Scan in Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Reveals Alterations in Protein Charge State Distribution

Sample flow rate is one of the parameters that influence the sensitivity of electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. By varying the sample flow rate, initial droplets of different sizes can be generated. Protein molecules in small droplets may form gas-phase ions earlier than the ones in large droplets. Here, we have systematically studied the influence of sample flow rate on the ESI charge state distributions (CSDs) of model proteins. A dedicated programmable sample flow rate scanner was used to infuse protein samples at different flow rates into a mass spectrometer. The synergistic influence of sample flow rate and various electrolytes (ammonium acetate, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium formate, and piperidine) was studied. Significant alterations to the CSDs with increasing flow rate were observed. For example, in the presence of ammonium acetate, at low flow rates, lower charge states of proteins showed high intensities, while at high flow rates, ions related to higher charge states of proteins dominated the spectra. On the other hand, in the presence of piperidine, a significant reduction in the ion currents of all charge states was observed during the flow rate scan. Our observations suggest that at low flow rates the protein molecules follow a charged residue model of ionization mechanism, and at high flow rates-due to structural changes in protein molecules in large ESI droplets-the charged residue and chain ejection models can possibly coexist. We propose the use of sample flow rate scan as a way to reveal the influence of flow rate on the CSDs of the studied proteins.

A Gas-Phase Reaction Accelerator Using Vortex Flows

Gas-phase microdroplets have been increasingly used for reaction acceleration. Here, we report the development of a vortex tube as a reaction accelerator. Three types of reactions, viz., aromatization, amination isomerization, and acid-induced cytochrome c unfolding were used to characterize the performance of the vortex tube. During ion transfer from a nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI) source to the mass spectrometry (MS) inlet, the generated vortex flows helped droplet desolvation and ion confinement and thus improved the MS intensity by 2-3 orders of magnitude compared with that when the vortex tube was not applied. Like the stirring effect in the bulk phase, the reactants were more sufficiently mixed and reacted in vortices. Therefore, with the same reaction distance, a 2-3-fold improvement of conversion ratios was observed by using the vortices. Notably, the vortex tube enabled the use of flow rate to control the reaction time for ∼60 μs, which was useful for precise control of reaction progress. As a demonstration, the intermediates of the amination isomerization were tracked and the equilibrium constant and rate constant of the cytochrome c unfolding were determined.

Direct Detection of Lysozyme in Viscous Raw Hen Egg White Binding to Sodium Dodecyl Sulfonate by Reactive Wooden-tip Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Direct characterization of native protein binding to ligands in raw biological samples is a challenging task, because the ligand solution might induce proteins to aggregation, flocculation and denaturation. In this work, we developed a reactive wooden-tip electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) for formation and characterization of protein-ligand complexes upon rapid mixing in electrospray droplets. Raw viscous hen egg white (HEW) was directly loaded onto a wooden tip to induce spray ionization, and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) solution was directly loaded into the HEW spray by a pipette tip, and thus lysozyme-DS complexes were then formed in the electrospray droplets and were detected subsequently by mass spectrometry. The new approach was successfully applied to investigate interaction of SDS and native lysozyme in electrospray droplets of standard solution and raw egg white. Our results showed that wooden-tip ESI-MS is a promising method to form and characterize protein-ligand complexes.

Probing Protein Denaturation during Size-Exclusion Chromatography Using Native Mass Spectrometry

Size-exclusion chromatography employing aqueous mobile phases with volatile salts at neutral pH combined with electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry (SEC-ESI-MS) is a useful tool to study proteins in their native state. However, whether the applied eluent conditions actually prevent protein–stationary phase interactions, and/or protein denaturation, often is not assessed. In this study, the effects of volatile mobile phase additives on SEC retention and ESI of proteins were thoroughly investigated. Myoglobin was used as the main model protein, and eluents of varying ionic strength and pH were applied. The degree of interaction between protein and stationary phase was evaluated by calculating the SEC distribution coefficient. Protein-ion charge state distributions obtained during offline and online native ESI-MS were used to monitor alterations in protein structure. Interestingly, most of the supposedly mild eluent compositions induced nonideal SEC behavior and/or protein unfolding. SEC experiments revealed that the nature, ionic strength, and pH of the eluent affected protein retention. Protein–stationary phase interactions were effectively avoided using ammonium acetate at ionic strengths above 0.1 M. Direct-infusion ESI-MS showed that the tested volatile eluent salts seem to follow the Hofmeister series: no denaturation was induced using ammonium acetate (kosmotropic), whereas ammonium formate and bicarbonate (both chaotropic) caused structural changes. Using a mobile phase of 0.2 M ammonium acetate (pH 6.9), several proteins (i.e., myoglobin, carbonic anhydrase, and cytochrome c) could be analyzed by SEC-ESI-MS using different column chemistries without compromising their native state. Overall, with SEC-ESI-MS, the effect of nonspecific interactions between protein and stationary phase on the protein structure can be studied, even revealing gradual structural differences along a peak.

Native IM-Orbitrap MS: Resolving What Was Hidden

Native ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is an emerging biophysical approach to probe the intricate details of protein structure and function. The instrument design enables measurements of accurate first-principle determinations of rotationally-averaged ion-neutral collision cross sections coupled with high-mass, high-resolution mass measurement capabilities of Orbitrap MS. The inherent duty-cycle mismatch between drift tube IM and Orbitrap MS is alleviated by operating the drift tube in a frequency modulated mode while continuously acquiring mass spectra with the Orbitrap MS. Fourier transform of the resulting time-domain signal, i.e., ion abundances as a function of the modulation frequency, yields a frequency domain spectrum that is then converted (s-1 to s) to IM drift time. This multiplexed approach allows for a duty-cycle of 25% compared to <1% for traditional "pulse-and-wait" IM-ToF-MS. Improvements in mobility and mass resolution of the IM-Orbitrap allows for accurate analysis of intact protein complexes and the possibility of capturing protein dynamics.

High-yield gram-scale organic synthesis using accelerated microdroplet/thin film reactions with solvent recycling

A closed system has been designed to perform microdroplet/thin film reactions with solvent recycling capabilities for gram-scale chemical synthesis. Claisen-Schmidt, Schiff base, Katritzky and Suzuki coupling reactions show acceleration factors relative to bulk of 15 to 7700 times in this droplet spray system. These values are much larger than those reported previously for the same reactions in microdroplet/thin film reaction systems. The solvent recycling mode of the new system significantly improves the reaction yield, especially for reactions with smaller reaction acceleration factors. The microdroplet/thin film reaction yield improved on recycling from 33% to 86% and from 32% to 72% for the Katritzky and Suzuki coupling reactions, respectively. The Claisen-Schmidt reaction was chosen to test the capability of this system in gram scale syntheses and rates of 3.18 g per h and an isolated yield of 87% were achieved.

Achieving multiple hydrogen/deuterium exchange timepoints of carbohydrate hydroxyls using theta-electrospray emitters

Microsecond reaction times for in-droplet hydrogen/deuterium exchange of carbohydrate hydroxyls have been varied by changing the opening sizes of theta-electrospray emitters.

Similarities and differences between potassium and ammonium ions in liquid water: a first-principles study

Understanding ion solvation in liquid water is critical in optimizing materials for a wide variety of emerging technologies, including water desalination and purification.

Electrospray Photochemical Oxidation of Proteins

Photooxidation of peptides and proteins by pulsed ultraviolet laser irradiation of an electrospray in the ion source of a mass spectrometer was demonstrated. A 193-nm excimer laser at 1.5-mJ pulse energy was focused with a cylindrical lens at the exit of a nanoelectrospray capillary and ions were sampled into a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. A solution containing a peptide or protein and hydrogen peroxide was infused into the spray at a flow rate of 1 μL/min using a syringe pump. The laser creates OH radicals directly in the spray which modify biomolecules within the spray droplet. These results indicate that photochemical oxidation of proteins can be initiated directly within electrospray droplets and detected by mass spectrometry.

Internal Energy Deposition in Infrared Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization With and Without the Use of Ice as a Matrix

The internal energy deposited into analytes during the ionization process largely influences the extent of fragmentation, thus the appearance of the resulting mass spectrum. The internal energy distributions of a series of para-substituted benzyl pyridinium cations in liquid and solid-state generated by infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) were measured using the survival yield method, of which results were subsequently compared with conventional electrospray ionization (ESI). The comparable mean internal energy values (e.g., 1.8-1.9 eV at a collision energy of 15 eV) and peak widths obtained with IR-MALDESI and ESI support that IR-MALDESI are essentially a soft ionization technique where analytes do not gain considerable internal energy during the laser-induced desorption process and/or lose energy during uptake into charged electrospray droplets. An unusual fragment ion, protonated pyridine, was only found for solid IR-MALDESI at relatively high collision energies, which is presumably resulted from direct ionization of the pre-charged analytes in form of salts. Analysis of tissue with an ice layer consistently yielded ion populations with higher internal energy than its counterpart without an ice layer, likely due to a substantially enhanced number of IR absorbers with ice. Further measurements with holo-myoglobin show that IR-MALDESI-MS retains the noncovalently bound heme-protein complexes under both native-like and denaturing conditions, while complete loss of the heme group occurred in denaturing ESI-MS, showing that the softness of IR-MALDESI is equivalent or superior to ESI for biomolecules.

Scale-up of microdroplet reactions by heated ultrasonic nebulization

Dramatically higher rates for a variety of chemical reactions have been reported in microdroplets compared with those in the liquid bulk phase. However, the scale-up of microdroplet chemical synthesis has remained a major challenge to the practical application of microdroplet chemistry. Heated ultrasonic nebulization (HUN) was found as a new way for scaling up chemical synthesis in microdroplets. Four reactions were examined, a base-catalyzed Claisen-Schmidt condensation, an oximation reaction from a ketone, a two-phase oxidation reaction without the use of a phase-transfer-catalyst, and an Eschenmoser coupling reaction. These reactions show acceleration of one to three orders of magnitude (122, 23, 6536, and 62) in HUN microdroplets compared to the same reactions in bulk solution. Then, using the present method, the scale-up of the reactions was achieved at an isolated rate of 19 mg min-1 for the product of the Claisen-Schmidt condensation, 21 mg min-1 for the synthesis of benzophenone oxime from benzophenone, 31 mg min-1 for the synthesis of 4-methoxybenzaldehyde from 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol, and 40 mg min-1 for the enaminone product of the Eschenmoser coupling reaction.

Rapid Solution-Phase Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange for Metabolite Compound Identification

Rapid, solution-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) is demonstrated as a means for distinguishing small-molecule metabolites. HDX is achieved using capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) to allow sufficient time for reagent mixing and exchange in micrometer-sized droplets. Different compounds are observed to incorporate deuterium with varying efficiencies resulting in unique isotopic patterns as revealed in the MS spectra. Using linear regression techniques, parameters representing contribution to exchange by different hydrogen types can be computed. In this proof-of-concept study, the exchange parameters are shown to be useful in the retrodiction of the amount of deuterium incorporated within different compounds. On average, the exchange parameters retrodict the exchange level with ~ 2.2-fold greater accuracy than treating all exchangeable hydrogens equally. The parameters can be used to produce hypothetical isotopic distributions that agree (± 16% RMSD) with experimental measurements. These initial studies are discussed in light of their potential value for identifying challenging metabolite species.

New insights into the metal-induced oxidative degradation pathways of transthyretin

The amyloidogenic mechanism of transthyretin is still debated but understanding it fully could lend insight into disease progression and potential therapeutics. Transthyretin was investigated revealing a metal-induced (Cr/Cu) oxidation pathway leading to N-terminal backbone fragmentation and oligomer formation; previously hidden details were revealed only by FT-IM-Orbitrap MS and surface-induced dissociation.

A microdroplet-accelerated Biginelli reaction: mechanisms and separation of isomers using IMS-MS

Electrospray ionization (ESI) combined with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques is used to examine the Biginelli reaction in an ensemble of ions generated from droplets.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) combined with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques is used to examine the Biginelli reaction in an ensemble of ions generated from droplets. We find evidence for rapid dihydropyrimidinone formation from condensation of ethyl acetoacetate, benzaldehyde, and urea on the very short timescales associated with the electrospray process (∼10 μs to ∼1.0 ms). Control bulk-solution reactions show no product formation even after several days. This implies that the in-droplet reaction rate is enhanced by an astonishing factor. Examination of the reaction conditions and characterization of the intermediates en route to product shows evidence for variations in the reaction mechanism. IMS separation shows that the Knoevenagel condensation intermediate from benzaldehyde and ethyl acetoacetate exists as both the cis- and trans-isomer, in a ∼5 to 1 ratio. We suggest that the dramatic acceleration arises because of increased reagent confinement as electrosprayed droplets shrink. The ability of IMS-MS to resolve intermediates (including isomers) provides a new means of understanding reaction pathways.

Effect of droplet lifetime on where ions are formed in electrospray ionization

The location of gaseous ion formation in electrospray ionization under native mass spectrometry conditions was investigated using theta emitters with tip diameters between 317 nm and 4.4 μm to produce droplets with lifetimes between 1 and 50 μs.

Coaxial Electrospray Ionization for the Study of Rapid In-source Chemistry

Coaxial electrospray has been used effectively for several dual-emitter applications, but has not been utilized for the study of rapid in-source chemistry. In this paper, we report the fabrication of a coaxial, micro-volume dual-emitter through the modification of a manufacturer's standard electrospray probe. This modification creates rapid mixing inside the Taylor cone and the ability to manipulate fast reactions using a variety of solvents and analytes. We demonstrate its potential as a low-cost, dual-emitter assembly for diverse applications through three examples: relative ionization in a biphasic electrospray, hydrogen-deuterium exchange, and protein supercharging. Graphical Abstract.

Probing specific ligand-protein interactions by native-denatured exchange mass spectrometry

Probing ligand-target protein interactions provides essential information for deep understanding of biochemical machinery and design of drug screening assays. Native electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is promising for direct analysis of ligand-protein complexes. However, it lacks the ability to distinguish between specific and non-specific ligand-protein interactions, and to further recognize the specifically bound proteins as drug target candidates, which remains as a major challenge in the field of drug developments by far. Herein we report a native-denatured exchange (NDX) mass spectrometry (MS) acquisition approach using a liquid sample-desorption electrospray ionization (LS-DESI) setup, and demonstrate its capability in enabling a change from native detection of noncovalent ligand-protein complexes to denatured analysis using three model ligand-protein complexes including myoglobin, CDP-ribonuclease and N,N',N″-triacetylchitotriose (NAG3)-lysozyme. Notably, we found the NDX-MS approach can readily discriminate specific ligand-protein interactions from nonspecific ones, as revealed by their distinct dynamic profiles of K_d as a function of the DESI spraying flow rate. Consequently, this NDX-MS approach holds promise for future applications to discovering specific protein targets for ligands of interest, and to screening compounds with high specificity to drug targets and thus eliminates off-target effects.

Solvent gradient electrospray for laser ablation electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Most electrospray based ambient ionization techniques, e.g., laser ablation electrospray ionization (LAESI), utilize a fixed spray solution composition. Complex samples often contain compounds of different polarity that exhibit a wide range of solubilities in the electrospray solvent. Thus, the fixed spray solution composition limits the molecular coverage of these approaches. Two-barrel theta glass capillaries have been used for the rapid mixing of two solutions for manipulating fast reactions including protein folding, unfolding, and charge state distributions. Here, we present a new variant of LAESI mass spectrometry (MS) by scanning the high voltages applied to the two barrels of a theta glass capillary containing two different solvents. In the resulting gradient LAESI (g-LAESI), the composition of the spray solution is ramped between the two solvents in the barrels to facilitate the detection of compounds of diverse polarity and solubility. Dynamic ranges and limits of detection achieved for g-LAESI-MS were comparable to conventional LAESI-MS. We have demonstrated simultaneous detection of different types of chemical standards, and polar and less polar compounds from Escherichia coli cell pellets using g-LAESI-MS. Varying the spray solution composition in a gradient electrospray can benefit from the enhanced solubilities of different analytes in polar and less polar solvents, ultimately improving the molecular coverage in the direct analysis of biological samples.

Can all bulk-phase reactions be accelerated in microdroplets?

Recent studies have shown that microdroplet reactions are markedly accelerated compared to the corresponding bulk-phase reactions. This raises the question whether all reactions can be sped up by this means. We present a counter example, and we show that the reaction mechanism in microdroplets can differ sharply from that in bulk, especially because of the distinct microdroplet surface environment. This analysis helps to guide us how to choose and control reactions in microdroplets and provides a possible perspective on utilizing microdroplet chemistry to scale up synthesis.

Microdroplets Accelerate Ring Opening of Epoxides

The nucleophilic opening of an epoxide is a classic organic reaction that has widespread utility in both academic and industrial applications. We have studied the reaction of limonene oxide with morpholine to form 1-methyl-2-morpholino-4-(prop-1-en-2-yl) cyclohexan-1-ol in bulk solution and in electrosprayed microdroplets with a 1:1 v/v water/methanol solvent system. We find that even after 90 min at room temperature, there is no product detected by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in bulk solution whereas in room-temperature microdroplets (2-3 μm in diameter), the yield is already 0.5% in a flight time of 1 ms as observed by mass spectrometry. This constitutes a rate acceleration of ~ 10⁵ in the microdroplet environment, if we assume that as much as 5% of product is formed in bulk after 90 min of reaction time. We examine how the reaction rate depends on droplet size, solvent composition, sheath gas pressure, and applied voltage. These factors profoundly influence the extent of reaction. This dramatic acceleration is not limited to just one system. We have also found that the nucleophilic opening of cis-stilbene oxide by morpholine is similarly accelerated. Such large acceleration factors in reaction rates suggest the use of microdroplets for ring opening of epoxides in other systems, which may have practical significance if such a procedure could be scaled. Graphical Abstract This graphical image is distorted.  It is too extended in the vertical direction.  Please fix.ᅟ.

Microsecond and nanosecond polyproline II helix formation in aqueous nanodrops measured by mass spectrometry

The 1.5 μs and <400 ns time constants for the formation of polyproline II helix structures in 21 and 16 residue peptides, respectively, are measured using rapid mixing from theta-glass emitters coupled with mass spectrometry. Results from these studies should serve as useful benchmarks for comparison with computational simulation results.

Multi-channel microfluidic chip coupling with mass spectrometry for simultaneous electro-sprays and extraction

Considering the advantages and research status of microfluidic chip coupling with mass spectrometry (MS), a microfluidic chip-based multi-channel ionization (MCMCI) for the extraction of untreated compounds in complex matrices without sample pretreatments was developed. Quantitative analysis of human urine spiked with various rhodamine B concentrations was also performed, and good linearity was obtained. Comparing to the macro ionization device, MCMCI significantly improved the integration of ionization source, simplified the operation of such a device, and greatly increased the signal intensity with much lower gas pressure. Comparison of our MCMCI with two and three gas channels indicated that the liquid–liquid extraction process before spraying and after spraying produced similar MS results. Moreover, this MCMCI with three gas channels also implemented simultaneous dual sprays with high DC voltages, the interference of two samples was minor and ion suppression effect was drastically alleviated. Such advantages may easily enable internal calibration for accurate mass measurement. Furthermore, dual extraction can be implemented by integrating such multi-spray configuration, which can improve the extracted signal intensity and sensitivity. These technologies open up new avenues for the application of microfluidic chip coupling with MS.

Exploring Chemistry in Microcompartments Using Guided Droplet Collisions in a Branched Quadrupole Trap Coupled to a Single Droplet, Paper Spray Mass Spectrometer

Recent studies suggest that reactions in aqueous microcompartments can occur at significantly different rates than those in the bulk. Most studies have used electrospray to generate a polydisperse source of highly charged microdroplets, leading to multiple confounding factors potentially influencing reaction rates (e.g., evaporation, charge, and size). Thus, the underlying mechanism for the observed enhancement remains unclear. We present a new type of electrodynamic balance-the branched quadrupole trap (BQT)-which can be used to study reactions in microdroplets in a controlled environment. The BQT allows for condensed phase chemical reactions to be initiated by colliding droplets with different reactants and levitating the merged droplet indefinitely. The performance of the BQT is characterized in several ways. Sub-millisecond mixing times as fast as ∼400 μs are measured for low velocity (∼0.1 m/s) collisions of droplets with <40 μm diameters. The reaction of o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) with alanine in the presence of dithiolthreitol is measured using both fluorescence spectroscopy and single droplet paper spray mass spectrometry. The bimolecular rate constant for reaction of alanine with OPA is found to be 84 ± 10 and 67 ± 6 M^-1 s^-1 in a 30 μm radius droplet and bulk solution, respectively, which demonstrates that bimolecular reaction rate coefficients can be quantified using merged microdroplets and that merged droplets can be used to study rate enhancements due to compartmentalization. Products of the reaction of OPA with alanine are detected in single droplets using paper spray mass spectrometry. We demonstrate that single droplets with <100 pg of analyte can easily be studied using single droplet mass spectrometry.

Joule Heating and Thermal Denaturation of Proteins in Nano-ESI Theta Tips

Electro-osmotically induced Joule heating in theta tips and its effect on protein denaturation were investigated. Myoglobin, equine cytochrome c, bovine cytochrome c, and carbonic anhydrase II solutions were subjected to electro-osmosis in a theta tip and all of the proteins were denatured during the process. The extent of protein denaturation was found to increase with the applied square wave voltage and electrolyte concentration. The solution temperature at the end of a theta tip was measured directly by Raman spectroscopy and shown to increase with the square wave voltage, thereby demonstrating the effect of Joule heating through an independent method. The electro-osmosis of a solution comprised of myoglobin, bovine cytochrome c, and ubiquitin demonstrated that the magnitude of Joule heating that causes protein denaturation is positively correlated with protein melting temperature. This allows for a quick determination of a protein's relative thermal stability. This work establishes a fast, novel method for protein conformation manipulation prior to MS analysis and provides a temperature-controllable platform for the study of processes that take place in solution with direct coupling to mass spectrometry. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.