De novo sequencing of tryptic peptides sulfonated by 4-sulfophenyl isothiocyanate for unambiguous protein identification using post-source decay matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

A simple method of solid-phase derivatization and sequencing of tryptic peptides has been developed for rapid and unambiguous identification of spots on two-dimensional gels using post-source decay (PSD) matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. The proteolytic digests of proteins are chemically modified by 4-sulfophenyl isothiocyanate. The derivatization reaction introduces a negative sulfonic acid group at the N-terminus of a peptide, which can increase the efficiency of PSD fragmentation and enable the selective detection of only a single series of fragment ions (y-ions). This chemically assisted method avoids the limitation of high background normally observed in MALDI-PSD spectra, and makes the spectra easier to interpret and facilitates de novo sequencing of internal fragment. The modification reaction is conducted in C(18) microZipTips to decrease the background and to enhance the signal/noise. Derivatization procedures were optimized for MALDI-PSD to increase the structural information and to obtain a complete peptide sequence even in critical cases. The MALDI-PSD mass spectra of two model peptides and their sulfonated derivatives are compared. For some proteins unambiguous identification could be achieved by MALDI-PSD sequencing of derivatized peptides obtained from in-gel digests of phosphorylase B and proteins of hepatic satellite cells (HSC).     

Tandem mass spectrometry methods for definitive protein identification in proteomics research

Optimized procedures have been developed for the addition of sulfonic acid groups to the N-termini of low-level peptides. These procedures have been applied to peptides produced by tryptic digestion of proteins that have been separated by two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis. The derivatized peptides were sequenced using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) post-source decay (PSD) and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry methods. Reliable PSD sequencing results have been obtained starting with sub-picomole quantities of protein. We estimate that the current PSD sequencing limit is about 300 fmol of protein in the gel. The PSD mass spectra of the derivatized peptides usually allow much more specific protein sequence database searches than those obtained without derivatization. We also report initial automated electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry sequencing of these novel peptide derivatives. Both types of tandem mass spectra provide predictable fragmentation patterns for arginine-terminated peptides. The spectra are easily interpreted de novo, and they facilitate error-tolerant identification of proteins whose sequences have been entered into databases.     

Proteome analysis of a human heptocellular carcinoma cell line, HCC-M: an update.

Recently, we reported the proteome analysis of a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HCC-M (Electrophoresis 2000, 21, 1787-1813), using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). From a total of 408 unique spots excised from the 2-DE gel, 301 spots yielded good MALDI spectra. Out of these, 272 spots had matches returned from the database search leading to the identification of these proteins. Here, we report the results on the identification of the remaining 29 spots using nanoelectrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (nESI-MS/MS). First, "peptide tag sequencing" was performed to obtain partial amino acid sequences of the peptides to search the SWISS-PROTand NCBI nonredundant protein databases. Spots that were still not able to find any matches from the databases were subjected to de novo peptide sequencing. The tryptic peptide sequences were used to search for homologues in the protein and nucleotide databases with the NCBI Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), which was essential for the characterization of novel or post-translationally modified proteins. Using this approach, all the 29 spots were unambiguously identified. Among them, phosphotyrosyl phosphatase activator (PTPA), RNA-binding protein regulatory subunit, replication protein A 32 kDa subunit (RP-A) and N-acetylneuraminic acid phosphate synthase were reported to be cancer-related proteins.     

Data requirements for protein identification using chemically-assisted fragmentation and tandem mass spectrometry

Many laboratories identify proteins by searching tandem mass spectrometry data against genomic or protein sequence databases. These database searches typically use the measured peptide masses or the derived peptide sequence and, in this paper, we focus on the latter. We study the minimum peptide sequence data requirements for definitive protein identification from protein sequence databases. Accurate mass measurements are not needed for definitive protein identification, even when a limited amount of sequence data is available for searching. This information has implications for the mass spectrometry performance (and cost), data base search strategies and proteomics research.     

Average peptide score: a useful parameter for identification of proteins derived from database searches of liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry data

The quantity and variable quality of data that can be generated from liquid chromatography (LC)/mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics analyses creates many challenges in interpreting the spectra in terms of the actual proteins in a complex sample. In spite of improvements in algorithms that match putative peptide sequences to MS/MS spectra, the assembly of these lists of possible or probable peptides into a 'correct' set of proteins is still problematic. We have observed a trend in a simple relationship, derived from standard database search outputs, which can be useful in assessing the quality of a MS/MS-based protein identification. Specifically, the ratio of the protein score and number of non-redundant peptides, or average peptide score (APS), can facilitate initial filtering of database search results in addition to providing a useful measure of confidence for the proteins identified. This parameter has been applied to results from the analysis of multi-protein complexes derived from pull-down experiments analyzed using a two-dimensional LC/MS/MS workflow. In particular, the complex list of protein identifications derived from a drug affinity pull-down with immobilized ampicillin and an E. coli lysate was greatly simplified by applying the APS as a filter, allowing for facile identification of the penicillin-binding proteins known to interact with ampicillin. Furthermore, an APS threshold can be used for any data sets derived from electrospray ionization (ESI)- or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-MS/MS experiments and is also not specific to any database search program.     

Fragmentation and sequencing of cyclic peptides by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization post-source decay mass spectrometry.

A series of synthetic cyclic decapeptides and other smaller cyclic peptides were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The investigated compounds were cyclized in a head-to-tail manner and contained non-proteinaceous amino acids, such as D-phenylalanine, D,L-4-carboxyphenylalanine, epsilon-aminocaproic acid, and gamma-aminobutyric acid, and were synthesized in a program to develop inhibitors of pp60(c-src) (Src), a tyrosine kinase that is involved in signal transduction and growth regulation. Post-source decay (PSD) spectra of the cyclic peptides featured abundant sequence ions. Two preferential ring opening reactions were detected resulting in linear fragment ions with an N-terminus of proline and a C-terminus of glutamic acid, respectively. MALDI-PSD spectra even permitted de novo sequencing of some cyclic peptides. Systematic studies on cyclic peptides using this method of fragmentation have not been reported to date. This work presents an easy mass spectrometric method, MALDI-PSD, for the characterization and identification of cyclic peptides.     

The use of proteotypic peptide libraries for protein identification

This paper describes an algorithm to apply proteotypic peptide sequence libraries to protein identifications performed using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Proteotypic peptides are those peptides in a protein sequence that are most likely to be confidently observed by current MS-based proteomics methods. Libraries of proteotypic peptide sequences were compiled from the Global Proteome Machine Database for Homo sapiens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae model species proteomes. These libraries were used to scan through collections of tandem mass spectra to discover which proteins were represented by the data sets, followed by detailed analysis of the spectra with the full protein sequences corresponding to the discovered proteotypic peptides. This algorithm (Proteotypic Peptide Profiling, or P3) resulted in sequence-to-spectrum matches comparable to those obtained by conventional protein identification algorithms using only full protein sequences, with a 20-fold reduction in the time required to perform the identification calculations. The proteotypic peptide libraries, the open source code for the implementation of the search algorithm and a website for using the software have been made freely available. Approximately 4% of the residues in the H. sapiens proteome were required in the proteotypic peptide library to successfully identify proteins.     

Chemically-assisted fragmentation combined with multi-dimensional liquid chromatography and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization post source decay, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of flight or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry for improved sequencing of tryptic peptides

Derivatization of tryptic peptides using an Ettan CAF matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) sequencing kit in combination with MALDI-post source decay (PSD) is a fast, accurate and convenient way to obtain de novo or confirmative peptide sequencing data. CAF (chemically assisted fragmentation) is based on solid-phase derivatization using a new class of water stable sulfonation agents, which strongly improves PSD analysis and simplifies the interpretation of acquired spectra. The derivatization is performed on solid supports, ZipTip(microC18, limiting the maximum peptide amount to 5 microg. By performing the derivatization in solution enabled the labeling of tryptic peptides derived from 100 microg of protein. To increase the number of peptides that could be sequenced, derivatized peptides were purified using multidimensional liquid chromatography (MDLC) prior to MALDI sequencing. Following the first dimension strong cation exchange (SCX) chromatography step, modified peptides were separated using reversed-phase chromatography (RPC). During the SCX clean up step, positively charged peptides are retained on the column while properly CAF-derivatized peptides (uncharged) are not. A moderately complex tryptic digest, prepared from six different proteins of equimolar amounts, was CAF-derivatized and purified by MDLC. Fractions from the second dimension nano RPC step were automatically sampled and on-line dispensed to MALDI sample plates and analyzed using MALDI mass spectrometry fragmentation techniques. All proteins in the derivatized protein mixture digest were readily identified using MALDI-PSD or MALDI tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). More than 40 peptides were unambiguously sequenced, representing a seven-fold increase in the number of sequenced peptides in comparison to when the CAF-derivatized protein mix digest was analyzed directly (no MDLC-separation) using MALDI-PSD. In conclusion, MDLC purification of CAF-derivatized peptides significantly increases the success rate for de novo and confirmative sequencing using various MALDI fragmentation techniques. This new approach is not only applicable to single protein digests but also to more complex digests and could, thus, be an alternative to electrospray ionization MS/MS for peptide sequencing.     

Protein identification methods in proteomics

A combination of high-resolution two-dimensional (2-D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, highly sensitive biological mass spectrometry, and the rapidly growing protein and DNA databases has paved the way for high-throughput proteomics. This review concentrates on protein identification. We first discuss the use of protein electroblotting and Edman sequencing as tools for de novo sequencing and protein identification. In the second part, we highlight matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) as one of the main contemporary analytical methods for linking gel-separated proteins to entries in sequence databases. In this context we describe the two main MALDI-MS-based identification methods: (i) peptide mass fingerprinting, and (ii) post-source decay (PSD) analysis. In the last part, we briefly emphasize the importance of sample preparation for obtaining highly sensitive and high-quality MALDI-MS spectra.     

Direct Identification of Urinary Tract Pathogens by MALDI-TOF/TOF Analysis and De Novo Peptide Sequencing

For mass spectrometry-based diagnostics of microorganisms, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is currently routinely used to identify urinary tract pathogens. However, it requires a lengthy culture step for accurate pathogen identification, and is limited by a relatively small number of available species in peptide spectral libraries (≤3329). Here, we propose a method for pathogen identification that overcomes the above limitations, and utilizes the MALDI-TOF/TOF MS instrument. Tandem mass spectra of the analyzed peptides were obtained by chemically activated fragmentation, which allowed mass spectrometry analysis in negative and positive ion modes. Peptide sequences were elucidated de novo, and aligned with the non-redundant National Center for Biotechnology Information Reference Sequence Database (NCBInr). For data analysis, we developed a custom program package that predicted peptide sequences from the negative and positive MS/MS spectra. The main advantage of this method over a conventional MALDI-TOF MS peptide analysis is identification in less than 24 h without a cultivation step. Compared to the limited identification with peptide spectra libraries, the NCBI database derived from genome sequencing currently contains 20,917 bacterial species, and is constantly expanding. This paper presents an accurate method that is used to identify pathogens grown on agar plates, and those isolated directly from urine samples, with high accuracy.     

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange for higher specificity of protein identification by peptide mass fingerprinting

Genome sequencing projects produce large amounts of information that could be translated into potential protein sequences. Such amounts of material continuously increase protein database sizes. At present, 22 times more protein sequences are available in the SWISS-PROT and TrEMBL databases than 8 years ago in SWISS-PROT. One of the methods of choice for protein identification makes use of specific endoproteolytic cleavage followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometric (MALDI-MS) analysis of the digested product. Since 1993, when this technique was first demonstrated, the conditions required for a correct identification have changed dramatically. Whilst 4-5 peptides with an uncertainty of 2-3 Da were sufficient for a correct identification in 1993, 10-13 peptides with less than 60 ppm mass error are now required for human and E. coli proteins. This evolution is directly related to the continuous increase in protein database sizes, which causes an increase in the number of false positive matches in identification results. Use of an information complement deduced from the primary protein sequence, in the process of identification by peptide mass fingerprints, can help to increase confidence in the identification results. In this article, we propose the exchange of labile hydrogen atoms with deuterium atoms to provide an alternative information complement. The exchange reaction with optimised techniques has shown an average 95% of hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange on tryptic peptides. This level of exchange was sufficient to single out one or more peptides from a list of potential candidate proteins due to the dependence of H/D exchange on the peptide primary structure. This technique also has clear advantages in the identification of small proteins where direct protein identification is impaired by the limited number of endoproteolytic peptides. Then, information related to primary sequence obtained with this technique could help to identify proteins with high confidence without any expensive tandem mass spectrometry instruments.     

Peptide and protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and MALDI-post-source decay time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The potential of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and MALDI-post-source decay (PSD) time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the characterization of peptides and proteins is discussed. Recent instrumental developments provide for levels of sensitivity and accuracy that make these techniques major analytical tools for proteome analysis. New software developments employing protein database searches have greatly enhanced the fields of application of MALDI-PSD. Peptides and proteins can be easily identified even if only a partial sequence information is determined. Derivatization procedures have been optimized for MALDI-PSD to increase the structural information and to obtain a complete peptide sequence even in critical cases. They are fast, simple and can be performed on target. MALDI-PSD is also a very powerful tool to characterize or elucidate post-translational or chemically induced modifications. In association with database searches, proteins issued from electrophoretic gels can be identified after specific enzymatic cleavages and peptide mapping.     

High sequence-coverage detection of proteolytic peptides using a bis(terpyridine)ruthenium(II) complex

The use of a bis(terpyridine)ruthenium(ii) complex for peptide labeling (Ru-CO labeling) supplied high intensity peaks in mass spectrometry (MS) analysis that overcame the contribution of protonation or sodiated adduction to peptides. Ru-CO-labeled insulin A- and B-chains were detected simultaneously in comparable peak abundance by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The mass spectra of chymotryptic peptide fragments of Ru-CO-labeled insulin also simultaneously indicated both N-terminal fragment ions, and amino acid sequences were determined easily by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization post-source-decay (MALDI-PSD). The sensitivity of detecting Ru-CO-labeled peptide fragment ions was not dependent on the length or the sequences of the peptides. The Ru-CO labeling method was applied to tryptic myoglobin fragments. The method indicated that each fragment ion is detected nearly equal in abundance and enabled the desired fragment ions to be distinguished from matrix clusters or their in-source fragments in lower mass regions. The desired fragment ions can be found in the mass region higher than 670.70 (= Ru-CO). This method provided a high sequence coverage (96%) by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). Application of this method to a protein mixture (myoglobin, lysozyme and ubiquitin) successfully achieved high sequence-coverage characterization (>90%) of these proteins simultaneously.     

How much peptide sequence information is contained in ion trap tandem mass spectra?

Matching peptide tandem mass spectra to their cognate amino acid sequences in databases is a key step in proteomics. It is usually performed by assigning a score to a spectrum-sequence combination. De novo sequencing or partial de novo sequencing is useful for organisms without sequenced genome or for peptides with unexpected modifications. Here we use a very large, high accuracy proteomic dataset to investigate how much peptide sequence information is present in tandem mass spectra generated in a linear ion trap (LTQ). More than 400,000 identified tandem mass spectra from a single human cancer cell line project were assigned to 26,896 distinct peptide sequences. The average absolute fragment mass accuracy is 0.102 Da. There are on average about four complementary b- and y-ions; both series are equally represented but y ions are 2- to 3-fold more intense up to mass 1000. Half of all spectra contain uninterrupted b- or y-ion series of at least six amino acids and combining b- and y-ion information yields on average seven amino acid sequences. These sequences are almost always unique in the human proteome, even without using any precursor or peptide sequence tag information. Thus, optimal de novo sequencing algorithms should be able to obtain substantial sequence information in at least half of all cases.     

Protein identification based on matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-post source decay-mass spectrometry.

Due to its very short analysis time, its high sensitivity and ease of automation, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-peptide mass fingerprinting has become the preferred method for identifying proteins of which the sequences are available in databases. However, many protein samples cannot be unambiguously identified by exclusively using their peptide mass fingerprints (e.g., protein mixtures, heavily posttranslationally modified proteins and small proteins). In these cases, additional sequence information is needed and one of the obvious choices when working with MALDI-mass spectrometry (MS) is to choose for post source decay (PSD) analysis on selected peptides. This can be performed on the same sample which is used for peptide mass fingerprinting. Although in this type of peptide analysis, fragmentation yields are very low and PSD spectra are often very difficult to interpret manually, we here report upon our five years of experience with the use of PSD spectra for protein identification in sequence (protein or expressed sequence tag (EST)) databases. The combination of peptide mass fingerprinting and PSD and analysis described here generally leads to unambiguous protein identification in the amount of material range generally encountered in most proteome studies.     

Search of sequence databases with uninterpreted high-energy collision-induced dissociation spectra of peptides

We have broadened the utility of the SEQUEST computer algorithms to permit correlation of uninterpreted high-energy collision-induced dissociation spectra of peptides with all sequences in a database. SEQUEST now allows for the additional fragment ion types observed under high-energy conditions. We analyzed spectra from peptides isolated following trypsin digestion of 13 proteins. SEQUEST ranked the correct sequence first for 90% (18/20) of the spectra in searches of the OWL database, without constraint by enzyme cleavage specificity or species of origin. All false-positives were flagged by the scoring system. SEQUEST searches databases for sequences that correspond to the precursor ion mass ±0.5 u. Preliminary ranking of the top 500 candidates is done by calculation of fragment ion masses for each sequence, and comparison to the measured ion masses on the basis of ion series continuity, summed ion intensity, and immonium ion presence. Final ranking is done by construction of model spectra for the 500 candidates and constructing/performing of a cross-correlation analysis with the actual spectrum. Given the need to relate mounting genome sequence information with corresponding suites of proteins that comprise the cellular molecular machinery, tandem mass spectrometry appears destined to play the leading role in accelerating protein identification on the large scale required.     

Oscore: a combined score to reduce false negative rates for peptide identification in tandem mass spectrometry analysis

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has been widely used in proteomics studies. Multiple algorithms have been developed for assessing matches between MS/MS spectra and peptide sequences in databases. However, it is still a challenge to reduce false negative rates without compromising the high confidence of peptide identification. In this study, we developed the score, Oscore, by logistic regression using SEQUEST and AMASS variables to identify fully tryptic peptides. Since these variables showed complicated association with each other, combining them together rather than applying them to a threshold model improved the classification of correct and incorrect peptide identifications. Oscore achieved both a lower false negative rate and a lower false positive rate than PeptideProphet on datasets from 18 known protein mixtures and several proteome-scale samples of different complexity, database size and separation methods. By a three-way comparison among Oscore, PeptideProphet and another logistic regression model which made use of PeptideProphet's variables, the main contributor for the improvement made by Oscore is discussed.     

氨基酸组成相同序列不同的小分子多肽的液相色谱-质谱联用分析

多肽组学是近年来兴起的一门新型学科,质谱已成为多肽组学研究的强有力手段．然而,用于检测具有相同氨基酸组成但序列不同的多肽时,只能给出等同的分子离子峰,在多肽结构解析上受到一定限制．因此,发展色谱分离．质谱检测联用技术是分析具有相同氨基酸组成但序列不同的多肽的有效途径．本文建立了一种氨基酸组成相同序列不同的小分子多肽的反相液相色谱分离-电喷雾离子化质谱检测新方法．该方法采用高效液相色谱-质谱联用技术,以两种三肽Gly．Ser．Phe和Gly．Phe．Ser为模式样品对象,考察了小分子多肽在不同流动相组成、流动相添加剂及pH等条件下的液相色谱行为,并讨论其保留机理．研究结果表明,在最优化的实验条件下,该方法稳定性好,重现性高,为多肽组学研究中的多肽解析提供科学的分析方法．     

Modeling peptide mass fingerprinting data using the atomic composition of peptides

The peptide mass fingerprinting technique is commonly used for identifying proteins analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS) after enzymatic digestion. Our goal is to build a theoretical model that predicts the mass spectra of such digestion products in order to improve the identification and characterization of proteins using this technique. We present here the first step towards a full MS model. We have modeled MS spectra using the atomic composition of peptides and evaluated the influence that this composition may have on the MS signals. Peptides deduced from the SWISS-PROT protein sequence database were used for the calculation. To validate the model, the variability of the peptide mass distribution in SWISS-PROT was compared to two theoretical, randomly generated databases. Functions have been built that describe the behavior of the isotopic distribution according to the mass of peptides. The variability of these functions was analyzed. In particular, the influence of sulfur was studied. This work, while representing only a first step in the construction of an MS model, yields immediate practical results, as the new isotopic distribution model significantly improves peak detection in MS spectra used by protein identification algorithms.     

Applications of Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS) in Protein Analysis for Biomedical Research

Mass Spectrometry (MS) allows the analysis of proteins and peptides through a variety of methods, such as Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) or Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-MS). These methods allow identification of the mass of a protein or a peptide as intact molecules or the identification of a protein through peptide-mass fingerprinting generated upon enzymatic digestion. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) allows the fragmentation of proteins and peptides to determine the amino acid sequence of proteins (top-down and middle-down proteomics) and peptides (bottom-up proteomics). Furthermore, tandem mass spectrometry also allows the identification of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins and peptides. Here, we discuss the application of MS/MS in biomedical research, indicating specific examples for the identification of proteins or peptides and their PTMs as relevant biomarkers for diagnostic and therapy.