Probing cysteine reactivity in proteins by mass spectrometric EC-tagging

Molecular Characterization of White Wines Antioxidant Metabolome by Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

The knowledge about the molecular fraction contributing to white wines oxidative stability is still poorly understood. However, the role of S- and N-containing compounds, like glutathione and other peptides, as a source of reductant in many oxidation reactions, and acting against heavy metals toxicity, or lipid and polyphenol oxidation as ROS-scavenger is today very well established. In that respect, the aim of the present study is to introduce an original analytical tool for the direct determination of the available nucleophilic compounds in white wine under acidic pH conditions. One step derivatization of nucleophiles has been realized directly in wines using 4-methyl-1,2-benzoquinone (4MeQ) as an electrophilic probe. Derivatization conditions considering probe concentration, pH, reaction time, MS ionisation conditions and adducts stability, were optimized using model solutions containing standard sulfur and amino compounds (GSH, Cys, HCys and Ser-Aps-Cys-Asp-Ser, Asp-Met, Met and Glu). Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC-QqTOF-MS) analysis of up to 92 white wines from different cultivars (Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Semillon) followed by Multivariate analysis (PLS DA) and Wilcoxon test allowed to isolate up to 141 putative wine relevant nucleophiles. Only 20 of these compounds, essentially thiols, were detectable in samples before derivatization, indicating the importance of the quinone trapping on the revelation of wine unknown nucleophiles. Moreover, annotation using online database (Oligonet, Metlin and KEGG) as well as elementary formula determined by isotopic profile, provided evidence of the presence of amino acids (Val, Leu, Ile, Pro, Trp, Cys and Met) and peptides with important antioxidant properties. The complimentary set of MS/MS spectral data greatly accelerated identification of nucleophiles and enabled peptides sequencing. These results show that probing wines with 4-methyl-1,2-benzoquinone enhances thiols ionisation capacity and gives a better screening of specific S- N- containing functional compounds as part of the white wines antioxidant metabolome.

Instrumentation and applications of electrochemistry coupled to mass spectrometry for studying xenobiotic metabolism: A review

The knowledge of metabolic pathways and biotransformation of xenobiotics, artificial substances foreign to the entire biological system, is crucial for elucidation of degradation routes of potentially toxic substances. Nowadays, there are many methods to simulate xenobiotic metabolism in the human body in vitro. In this review, the metabolism of various substances in the human body is described, followed by a summary of methods used for prediction of metabolic pathways and biotransformation. Above all, focus is placed on the coupling of electrochemistry to mass spectrometry, which is still a relatively new technique. This promising tool can mimic both oxidative phase I and conjugative phase II metabolism. Different experimental arrangements, with or without a separation step, and various applications of this technique are illustrated and critically reviewed.

Characterization of the Cysteine Content in Proteins Utilizing Cysteine Selenylation with 266 nm Ultraviolet Photodissociation (UVPD)

Characterization of the cysteine content of proteins is a key aspect of proteomics. By defining both the total number of cysteines and their bound/unbound state, the number of candidate proteins considered in database searches is significantly constrained. Herein we present a methodology that utilizes 266 nm UVPD to count the number of free and bound cysteines in intact proteins. In order to attain this goal, proteins were derivatized with N-(phenylseleno)phthalimide (NPSP) to install a selectively cleavable Se-S bond upon 266 UVPD. The number of Se-S bonds cleaved upon UVPD, a process that releases SePh moieties, corresponds to the number of cysteine residues per protein. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Cysteine-Selective Peptide Identification: Selenium-Based Chromophore for Selective S-Se Bond Cleavage with 266 nm Ultraviolet Photodissociation

The tremendous number of peptides identified in current bottom-up mass spectrometric workflows, although impressive for high-throughput proteomics, results in little selectivity for more targeted applications. We describe a strategy for cysteine-selective proteomics based on a tagging method that installs a S-Se bond in peptides that is cleavable upon 266 nm ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD). The alkylating reagent, N-(phenylseleno)phthalimide (NPSP), reacts with free thiols in cysteine residues and attaches a chromogenic benzeneselenol (SePh) group. Upon irradiation of tagged peptides with 266 nm photons, the S-Se bond is selectively cleaved, releasing a benzeneselenol moiety corresponding to a neutral loss of 156 Da per cysteine. Herein we demonstrate a new MS/MS scan mode, UVPDnLossCID, which facilitates selective screening of cysteine-containing peptides. A "prescreening" event occurs by activation of the top N peptide ions by 266 nm UVPD. Peptides exhibiting a neutral loss corresponding to one or more SePh groups are reactivated and sequenced by CID. Because of the low frequency of cysteine in the proteome, unique cysteine-containing peptides may serve as surrogates for entire proteins. UVPDnLossCID does not generate as many peptide spectrum matches (PSMs) as conventional bottom-up methods; however, UVPDnLossCID provides far greater selectivity.

Mass spectrometric methods for monitoring redox processes in electrochemical cells

Electrochemistry (EC) is a mature scientific discipline aimed to study the movement of electrons in an oxidation-reduction reaction. EC covers techniques that use a measurement of potential, charge, or current to determine the concentration or the chemical reactivity of analytes. The electrical signal is directly converted into chemical information. For in-depth characterization of complex electrochemical reactions involving the formation of diverse intermediates, products and byproducts, EC is usually combined with other analytical techniques, and particularly the hyphenation of EC with mass spectrometry (MS) has found broad applicability. The analysis of gases and volatile intermediates and products formed at electrode surfaces is enabled by differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS). In DEMS an electrochemical cell is sampled with a membrane interface for electron ionization (EI)-MS. The chemical space amenable to EC/MS (i.e., bioorganic molecules including proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and drugs) was significantly increased by employing electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS. In the simplest setup, the EC of the ESI process is used to analytical advantage. A limitation of this approach is, however, its inability to precisely control the electrochemical potential at the emitter electrode. Thus, particularly for studying mechanistic aspects of electrochemical processes, the hyphenation of discrete electrochemical cells with ESI-MS was found to be more appropriate. The analytical power of EC/ESI-MS can further be increased by integrating liquid chromatography (LC) as an additional dimension of separation. Chromatographic separation was found to be particularly useful to reduce the complexity of the sample submitted either to the EC cell or to ESI-MS. Thus, both EC/LC/ESI-MS and LC/EC/ESI-MS are common.

Benzoquinone reveals a cysteine-dependent desensitization mechanism of TRPA1

The transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) nonselective cation channel has a conserved function as a noxious chemical sensor throughout much of Metazoa. Electrophilic chemicals activate both insect and vertebrate TRPA1 via covalent modification of cysteine residues in the amino-terminal region. Although naturally occurring electrophilic plant compounds, such as mustard oil and cinnamaldehyde, are TRPA1 agonists, it is unknown whether arthropod-produced electrophiles activate mammalian TRPA1. We characterized the effects of the electrophilic arthropod defensive compound para-benzoquinone (pBQN) on the human TRPA1 channel. We used whole-cell recordings of human embryonic kidney cells heterologously expressing either wild-type TRPA1 or TRPA1 with three serine-substituted cysteines crucial for electrophile activation (C621S, C641S, C665S). We found that pBQN activates TRPA1 starting at 10 nM and peaking at 300 nM; higher concentrations caused rapid activation followed by a fast decline. Activation by pBQN required reactivity with cysteine residues, but ones that are distinct from those previously reported to be the key targets of electrophiles. The current reduction we found at higher pBQN concentrations was a cysteine-dependent desensitization of TRPA1, and did not require prior activation. The cysteines required for desensitization are not accessible to all electrophiles as iodoacetamide and internally applied 2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl methanesulfonate failed to cause desensitization (despite large activation). Interestingly, following pBQN desensitization, wild-type TRPA1 had dramatically reduced response to the nonelectrophile agonist carvacrol, whereas the triple cysteine mutant TRPA1 retained its full response. Our results suggest that modification of multiple cysteine residues by electrophilic compounds can generate both activation and desensitization of the TRPA1 channel.

Fast and selective modification of thiol proteins/peptides by N-(phenylseleno)phthalimide

We previously reported that selenamide reagents such as ebselen and N-(phenylseleno)phthalimide (NPSP) can be used to selectively derivatize thiols for mass spectrometric analysis, and the introduced selenium tags are useful as they could survive or removed with collision-induced dissociation (CID). Described herein is the further study of the reactivity of various protein/peptide thiols toward NPSP and its application to derivatize thiol peptides in protein digests. With a modified protocol (i.e., dissolving NPSP in acetonitrile instead of aqueous solvent), we found that quantitative conversion of thiols can be obtained in seconds, using NPSP in a slight excess amount (NPSP:thiol of 1.1-2:1). Further investigation shows that the thiol reactivity toward NPSP reflects its chemical environment and accessibility in proteins/peptides. For instance, adjacent basic amino acid residues increase the thiol reactivity, probably because they could stabilize the thiolate form to facilitate the nucleophilic attack of thiol on NPSP. In the case of creatine phosphokinase, the native protein predominately has one thiol reacted with NPSP while all of four thiol groups of the denatured protein can be derivatized, in accordance with the corresponding protein conformation. In addition, thiol peptides in protein/peptide enzymatic digests can be quickly and effectively tagged by NPSP following tri-n-butylphosphine (TBP) reduction. Notably, all three thiols of the peptide QCCASVCSL in the insulin peptic digest can be modified simultaneously by NPSP. These results suggest a novel and selective method for protecting thiols in the bottom-up approach for protein structure analysis.

Cysteine tagging for MS-based proteomics

Amino acid-tagging strategies are widespread in proteomics. Because of the central role of mass spectrometry (MS) as a detection technique in protein sciences, the term "mass tagging" was coined to describe the attachment of a label, which serves MS analysis and/or adds analytical value to the measurements. These so-called mass tags can be used for separation, enrichment, detection, and quantitation of peptides and proteins. In this context, cysteine is a frequent target for modifications because the thiol function can react specifically by nucleophilic substitution or addition. Furthermore, cysteines present natural modifications of biological importance and a low occurrence in the proteome that justify the development of strategies to specifically target them in peptides or proteins. In the present review, the mass-tagging methods directed to cysteine residues are comprehensively discussed, and the advantages and drawbacks of these strategies are addressed. Some concrete applications are given to underline the relevance of cysteine-tagging techniques for MS-based proteomics.

Electrochemical simulation of oxidation processes involving nucleic acids monitored with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

Oxidation is commonly involved in the alteration of nucleic acids giving rise to diverse effects including mutation, cell death, malignancy, and aging. We demonstrate that electrochemistry represents an efficient and fast method to mimic oxidative modification of nucleic acids occurring in biological systems. Oxidation reactions were performed in a thin-layer cell employing a conductive diamond electrode as the working electrode and were monitored with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Mass voltammograms were acquired for guanosine, adenosine, cytidine, and uridine. The observed oxidation potentials increased in the order guanosine << adenosine < cytidine < uridine. Oxidation products of guanosine were characterized using high-resolution (tandem) mass spectrometry performed with a quadrupole-quadrupole time-of-flight instrument. On the basis of these experiments, it was concluded that the initial electrode reaction involves a one-electron, one-proton step to give a free radical. The primary oxidation product represents the starting point for a number of follow-up reactions, including guanosine dimerization as well as further oxidation to 8-hydroxyguanosine. Similar results were obtained for guanosine monophosphate and the corresponding dinucleotide. Furthermore, the guanosine radical was identified as an important intermediate for the formation of a covalent adduct with acetaminophen. This observation sheds new light on the mechanism of adduct formation as it demonstrates that oxidative activation of both the nucleobase and the adduct-forming agent is necessary to observe a detectable amount of adduct species.

Oxidative protein labeling in mass-spectrometry-based proteomics

Oxidation of proteins and peptides is a common phenomenon, and can be employed as a labeling technique for mass-spectrometry-based proteomics. Nonspecific oxidative labeling methods can modify almost any amino acid residue in a protein or only surface-exposed regions. Specific agents may label reactive functional groups in amino acids, primarily cysteine, methionine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. Nonspecific radical intermediates (reactive oxygen, nitrogen, or halogen species) can be produced by chemical, photochemical, electrochemical, or enzymatic methods. More targeted oxidation can be achieved by chemical reagents but also by direct electrochemical oxidation, which opens the way to instrumental labeling methods. Oxidative labeling of amino acids in the context of liquid chromatography(LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomics allows for differential LC separation, improved MS ionization, and label-specific fragmentation and detection. Oxidation of proteins can create new reactive groups which are useful for secondary, more conventional derivatization reactions with, e.g., fluorescent labels. This review summarizes reactions of oxidizing agents with peptides and proteins, the corresponding methodologies and instrumentation, and the major, innovative applications of oxidative protein labeling described in selected literature from the last decade.

Electrochemical aspects of electrospray and laser desorption/ionization for mass spectrometry

Soft-ionization methods, namely electrospray ionization and laser desorption/ionization, are widely used to transfer large molecules as intact gas-phase ions either from a solution or from a solid substrate. During both processes, in-source electrochemical and photoelectrochemical reactions occur. These electrode reactions, which take place at interfaces, play important roles in influencing the ionization products, but they have received little attention. We show that having good control over both types of electrochemical reactions can lead to new analytical applications. Examples include online tagging by grafting of mass tags and in-source photooxidation of peptides.

Electrochemical reactions and ionization processes

Electrochemical or photo-electrochemical reactions in both electrospray ionization and laser desorption ionization are discussed stressing the role of the electrode reaction in influencing the ionization process. In particular, upon application of a high voltage during electrospray ionization, the emitter includes a working electrode, where redox reactions are observed, such as electro-generation of benzoquinone and metal ions. In contrast, the target plate in laser-induced desorption ionization also acts as a photo-electrode, especially when modified with a mesoporous semiconductor. We illustrate here how these electrochemical reactions can be used for tagging purposes, and for oxidative or reductive dissociation reactions.

Theory and experiments of transport at channel microband electrodes under laminar flows. 2. Electrochemical regimes at double microband assemblies under steady state

The development of any particular analytical or preparative applications using electrochemical techniques in microfluidic devices requires integration of microelectrodes. This involves detailed predictions for optimizing the design of devices and selecting the best hydrodynamic conditions. For this purpose, we undertook a series of works aimed at a precise investigation of mass transport near electrodes with focus on analytical measurements. Part I of this series (Anal. Chem. 2007, 79, 8502-8510) evaluated the common case of a single microband electrode embedded within a microchannel under laminar flow. The present work (Part 2) investigated the case of a pair of microband electrodes operating either in generator-generator or generator-collector modes. The influence of the confining effect and flow velocity on the amperometric responses was examined on the basis of numerical simulations under steady-state regime. Several situations were identified, each of them corresponding to specific interactions taking place between the electrodes. Related conditions were extracted to establish a zone diagram describing all the situations. These predictions were systematically validated by experimental measurements. The results show that amperometric detections within microchannels can be performed at dual electrodes with higher analytical performances than at single ones.

Electrochemically initiated tagging of thiols using an electrospray ionization based liquid microjunction surface sampling probe two-electrode cell

This paper reports on the conversion of a liquid microjunction surface sampling probe (LMJ-SSP) into a two-electrode electrochemical cell using a conductive sample surface and the probe as the two electrodes with an appropriate battery powered circuit. With this LMJ-SSP, two-electrode cell arrangement, tagging of analyte thiol functionalities (in this case peptide cysteine residues) with hydroquinone tags was initiated electrochemically using a hydroquinone-doped solution when the analyte either was initially in solution or was sampled from a surface. Efficient tagging (approximately 90%), at flow rates of 5-10 microL/min, could be achieved for up to at least two cysteines on a peptide. The high tagging efficiency observed was explained with a simple kinetic model. In general, the incorporation of a two-electrode electrochemical cell, or other multiple electrode arrangement, into the LMJ-SSP is expected to add to the versatility of this approach for surface sampling and ionization coupled with mass spectrometric detection.

Sandwich mixer-reactor: influence of the diffusion coefficient and flow rate ratios

A sandwich mixer consists of mixing two solutions in a channel, one central laminar flow being sandwiched between two outer flow solutions. The present numerical study considers the convection-diffusion of two reacting species A and B, provided respectively by the two incoming solutions. The simulations show how the diffusion coefficient, flow rate and species concentration ratios influence, via the transversal diffusion length and reaction kinetics, the reaction extent at the end of the sandwich mixer. First, this extent can be enhanced up to 60% if the species with the lowest diffusion coefficient is located in the outer solutions where the flow velocity is small compared to that of the central part (higher residence time). Secondly, decreasing the outer flow rates (to confine the reaction close to the walls) and increasing the local concentration to keep the same flux ratio improve the extent by 300%. Comparison with a bi-lamination passive mixer, with an ideal mixer and an electro-osmotic driven flow mixer is presented. These conclusions are also demonstrated for consecutive reactions, showing an amplification of the effects described above. The results are also presented versus the residence time in the mixer-reactor to show the time window for which the gain is appreciable.

Current literature in mass spectrometry

In order to keep subscribers up‐to‐date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of mass spectrometry. Each bibliography is divided into 11 sections: 1 Books, Reviews & Symposia; 2 Instrumental Techniques & Methods; 3 Gas Phase Ion Chemistry; 4 Biology/Biochemistry: Amino Acids, Peptides & Proteins; Carbohydrates; Lipids; Nucleic Acids; 5 Pharmacology/Toxicology; 6 Natural Products; 7 Analysis of Organic Compounds; 8 Analysis of Inorganics/Organometallics; 9 Surface Analysis; 10 Environmental Analysis; 11 Elemental Analysis. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author (6 Weeks journals ‐ Search completed at 4th. Oct. 2006)

Multitrack electrospray chips

Multitrack electrospray chips (MTEC) were fabricated by UV-photoablation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. They are composed of an array of up to six microchannels that are successively used as electrospray ionization (ESI) emitters for mass spectrometry (MS). There is no requirement for alignment of the different spraying microchannels with the mass spectrometer orifice. The MTEC is thus fixed in front of the mass spectrometer and the successive MS analyses are performed without moving the chip. The sequential electrospraying by successive application of an identical high voltage in each off-axis microchannel was evaluated for the fast screening of peptides and proteins. The counting of cysteines in peptides through chemical modification and the relative quantification of a peptide in two samples are presented herein as two original strategies based on this new analytical tool.