Complexes of iron(II) with cysteine-containing peptides in the gas phase

Gas-phase interactions of peptides that contain cysteine with iron(II) atoms were examined by using fast-atom bombardment and tandem mass spectrometry. Specific and strong interactions of iron and sulfur from the thiol group of the cysteine side chain occur in the gas phase and are the basis for highly specific fragmentation to give abundant [a _n ?⁺ ions. For peptides that contain two cysteines, an internal ion, which results from the interaction of Fe and both thiol groups, is formed upon collisional activation. The mechanism for the formation of [a _n ?2H+Fe]⁺ fragment ions requires the metal to be coordinated at sulfur in close proximity to the site of reaction. Iron-bis(pentapeptide) complexes, which form under the same conditions, decompose predominantly to lose a pentapeptide molecule and, to a lesser extent, to give [a _a ?2H+Fe]⁺ ions.     

Fe+ chemical ionization of peptides

Laser-desorbed peptide neutral molecules were allowed to react with Fe⁺ in a Fourier transform mass spectrometer, using the technique of laser desorption/chemical ionization. The Fe⁺ ions are formed by laser ablation of a steel target, as well as by dissociative charge-exchange ionization of ferrocene with Ne⁺. Prior to reaction with laser-desorbed peptide molecules, Fe⁺ ions undergo 20–100 thermalizin collisions with xenon to reduce the population of excited-state metal ion species. The Fe⁺ ions that have not experienced thermalizing collisions undergo charge exchange with peptide molecules. Iron ions that undergo thermalizing collisions before they are allowed to react with peptides are found to undergo charge exchange and to form adduct species [M + Fe⁺] and fragment ions that result from the loss of small, stable molecules, such as H₂O, CO, and CO₂, from the metal ion-peptide complex.     

Lipid-protein interactions in the membrane: studies with model peptides

We have used fluorescence quenching of tryptophan-containing trans-membrane peptides by bromine-containing phospholipids to study the specificity of peptide-lipid interactions. We have synthesized peptides Ac-K2GLm WLnK2A-amide where m = 7 and n = 9 (L16) and m = 10 and n = 12 (L22). Binding constants of L22 for dioleoylphosphatidylserine [di(C18 : 1)PS] or dioleoylphosphatidic acid [di(C18 : 1)PA] relative to dieoleoylphosphatidylcholine [di(C18 : 1)PC] were close to 1. However, for L16, whilst the bulk of the di(C18 : 1)PA molecules bound with a binding constant relative to di(C18 : 1)PC close to 1, a small number of di(C18 : 1)PA molecules bound much more strongly. Assuming just one high affinity binding site on L16 for anionic lipid, the affinity of the site for di(C18 : 1)PS was calculated to be ca. 8 times that for di (C18 : 1)PC. The relative binding constant was little affected by ionic strength and close contact between the anionic headgroup of di(C18 : 1)PS and a lysine residue on the peptide was suggested. The relative binding constant for di(C18 : 1)PS at this high affinity site was less than for di(C18 : 1)PA. Cholesterol interacts with L22 with an affinity about 0.7 of that of di(C18 : 1)PC. The structure of the peptide itself is important. The peptide Ac-KKGYL6WL8YKKA-amide (Y2L14) incorporated into bilayers of dinervonylphosphatidylcholine [di(C24 : 1)PC] whereas L16 did not incorporate into this lipid. It is suggested that thinning of a lipid bilayer around a peptide to give optimal hydrophobic matching is less energetically unfavourable when a Tyr residue is located in the lipid/water interfacial region.     

NMR studies of the Zn2+ interactions with rat and human beta-amyloid (1-28) peptides in water-micelle environment

Alzheimer's disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder involving the abnormal accumulation and deposition of peptides (amyloid-beta, Abeta) derived from the amyloid precursor protein. Here, we present the structure and the Zn2+ binding sites of human and rat Abeta(1-28) fragments in water/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles by using 1H NMR spectroscopy. The chemical shift variations measured after Zn2+ addition at T>310 K allowed us to assign the binding donor atoms in both rat and human zinc complexes. The Asp-1 amine, His-6 Ndelta, Glu-11 COO-, and His-13 Nepsilon of rat Abeta28 all enter the metal coordination sphere, while His-6 Ndelta, His-13, His-14 Nepsilon, Asp-1 amine, and/or Glu-11 COO- are all bound to Zn2+ in the case of human Abeta28. Finally, a comparison between the rat and human binding abilities was discussed.     

Extreme Differences in the Interactions of `Bare' Fe+ and Fe2+ with Hydrogen Peroxide: Fenton Chemistry in the Gas Phase

The interaction of bare iron mono‐ and dications with hydrogen peroxide in the gas phase is studied by ab initio calculations employing the B3LYP/6‐311+G* level of theory. For the monocation, the quartet and sextet coordination complexes Fe(H₂O₂) are high‐energy isomers that easily interconvert to the more stable iron dihydroxide monocation Fe(OH) and hydrated iron oxide (H₂O)FeO⁺ (quartet) or dissociate into FeOH⁺+OH^. (sextet). On the dication surface, however, the order of stabilities is reversed in that Fe(H₂O₂)²⁺ (quintet) corresponds to the most stable doubly charged species, while the formal Fe^IV compounds Fe(OH) and (H₂O)FeO²⁺ are higher in energy.     

The gas-phase interactions of TEMPO radicals with Fe+ ions

The gas-phase ligation of the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidyl-1-oxide (TEMPO) radical (1) and its 4-hydroxy derivative (2) with Fe+ ions in a 3 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer was investigated. Triple ligation may occur: the first ligation produces a transient species prone to either charge exchange or a stable second ligation; the third ligand adds slowly, with fragmentation. 1 and 2 differ in that 1 binds exclusively at the nitroxyl oxygen while 2 also binds at the OH site after the loss of a H-radical. Calculations combined with steric considerations support such a mechanism for 2. The site and the mechanism of the important side reaction of 1 that involves OH addition from a water impurity to yield an FeR2 + species remain unexplained.     

基于共价色谱分离的含半胱氨酸肽段富集策略

多维色谱分离、串联质谱分析技术已在蛋白质组研究中得到广泛应用。然而生物样品的蛋白质以及全酶切肽段具有高度的复杂性,这严重干扰了蛋白质高通量、规模化的分析。通过标签肽段富集进行样品预分离可以降低体系的复杂程度。本文建立了一种基于共价色谱技术选择性分离富集含半胱氨酸肽的方法,从而降低了样品体系的复杂程度。首先以牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的酶切肽段为模型,对富集条件进行了优化和考察,并在此基础上通过5种蛋白质酶切肽段混合物的富集对该方法进行了验证。结果证明此方法的重现性好,富集效率高,富集特异性好,能有效地富集鉴定含半胱氨酸肽段。所建立的方法在复杂体系的蛋白质组研究中具有广泛的应用前景,为复杂样品的蛋白质高通量、自动化、规模化鉴定和定量研究提供了实用技术。     

Gas phase reactions of the ion C5H5Fe+: A kinetic study

The kinetics of gas phase reactions of the ion C₅H₅Fe⁺ with oxygen (Me₂CO, Me₂O, MeOH, iso-propanol, H₂O) and nitrogen (NH₃, NH₂Me, NHMe₂, NMe₃) donor ligands have been studied by ion trap mass spectrometry. While in the literature reactions of the ion Fe⁺, with the same ligands, the principal reaction path involves fragmentation in almost all the reactions of the ion C₅H₅Fe⁺, formation of adduct ions is the major reaction path. The reactivity of these two ions is briefly compared in the ion trap conditions. Kinetic data for the ion C₅H₅Fe⁺ indicate that the reactions show a large range of efficiency and a linear correlation is found between the log of the reaction rate constants and the ionization energy of ligands with the same donor atom.     

Substituent Effects on Fe+-Mediated [4+2] Cycloadditions in the Gas Phase

The Fe⁺-mediated [4+2] cycloaddition of dienes with alkynes has been examined by four-sector ion-beam and ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Prospects and limitations of this reaction were evaluated by investigating several Me-substituted ligands. Me Substitution at C(2) and C(3) of the diene, i.e., 2-methylbuta-1,3-diene, 2,3-dimethylbuta-1,3-diene, hardly disturbs the cycloaddition. Similarly, variation of the alkyne by use of propyne and but-2-yne does not affect the [4+2] cycloaddition step, but allows for H/D exchange processes prior to cyclization. In contrast, Me substituents in the terminal positions of the diene moiety (e.g., penta-1,3-diene, liexa-2,4-diene) induce side reactions, namely double-bond migration followed by [3+2] and [5+2] cycloadditions, up to almost complete suppression of the [4+2] cycloaddition for 2,4-dimethylhexa-2,4-diene. Similarly, alkynes with larger alkyl substituents (pent-1-yne, 3,3-dimethylbut-1-yne) suppress the [4 + 2] cycloaddition route. Stereochemical effects have been observed for the (E)- and (Z)-penta-1,3-diene ligands as well as for (E,E)- and (E,Z)-hexa-2,4-diene. A mechanistic explanation for the different behavior of the stereoisomers in the cyclization reaction is developed. Further, the regiochemical aspects operative in the systems ethoxyacetylene/pentadiene/Fe⁺ and ethoxyacetylcne/isoprene/Fe⁺ indicate that substituents avoid proximity.     

Improved detection specificity for plasma proteins by targeting cysteine-containing peptides with photo-SRM

Targeted mass spectrometry using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) has emerged as an alternative to immunoassays for protein quantification owing to faster development time and higher multiplexing capability. However, the SRM strategy is faced with the high complexity of peptide mixtures after trypsin digestion of whole plasma or the cellular proteome that most of the time causes contamination, irremediably, by interfering compounds in the transition channels monitored. This problem becomes increasingly acute when the targeted protein is present at a low concentration. In this work, the merit of laser-induced photo-dissociation in the visible region at 473 nm implemented in an hybrid quadrupole linear ion-trap mass spectrometer (photo-SRM) was evaluated for detection specificity of cysteine-containing peptides in a group of plasma proteins after tagging with a dabcyl chromophore. Compared with conventional SRM, photo-SRM chromatograms have improved detection specificity for most of peptides monitored. Comparison of the signals obtained for the best proteotypic peptides in SRM mode and those recorded by photo-SRM of cysteine-containing peptides for the same proteins reveals either increased (up to 10-fold) or similar signal to photo-SRM detection. Finally, photo-SRM has extended response linearity across a calibration plot obtained by diluting human plasma in rat plasma, down to the lowest concentrations. Hence, photo-SRM may advantageously complement conventional SRM in assay of proteins in complex biological matrices.     

Modeling the interactions between peptide functions and Sr2+: formamide-Sr2+ reactions in the gas phase

The interactions between formamide, which can be considered a prototype of a peptide function, and Sr(2+) have been investigated by combining nanoelectrospray ionization/mass spectrometry techniques and G96LYP DFT calculations. For Sr an extended LANL2DZ basis set was employed, together with a 6-311+G(3df,2p) basis set expansion for the remaining atoms of the system. The observed reactivity seems to be dominated by the Coulomb explosion process yielding [SrOH](+) + [HNCH](+), which are the most intense peaks in the MS/MS spectra. Nevertheless, additional peaks corresponding to the loss of HNC and CO indicate that the association of Sr(2+) to water or to ammonia leads to long-lived doubly charged species detectable in the timescale of these experimental techniques. The topology of the calculated potential energy surface permits us to establish the mechanisms behind these processes. Although the interaction between the neutral base and Sr(2+) is essentially electrostatic, the polarization triggered by the doubly charged metal ion results in the activation of several bonds, and favors different proton transfer mechanisms required for the formation of the [SrOH](+), [SrOH(2)](2+) and [SrNH(3)](2+) products.     

浅谈检验Fe~(2+)与Fe~(3+)的误区

空白试验证明,用浓度大于1mol/L的盐酸溶液做Fe~(3+)的提取液,或用过浓盐酸溶液酸化试液,盐酸中的Fe~(3+)都会给检验试液中的Fe~(3+)带来干扰;检验食品中的铁元素时,若铁是以Fe~(2+)形式存在,如果加入硝酸将其氧化为Fe~(3+),硝酸中Fe~(3+)会对检验试液中的Fe~(3+)带来干扰。     

Synthesis and research of phase composition of alloys Nb2O5: Fe3+ and Ta2O5: Fe3+

The conditions were studied for the synthesis of niobium and tantalum pentoxide containing iron impurity introduced into the strip liquor after extraction separation of niobium and tantalum and subsequent precipitation of metal hydroxides with ammonia. A phase composition of the synthesized alloys was examined by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy.     

Brdicka-type processes of cysteine and cysteine-containing peptides on silver amalgam electrodes

Silver solid amalgam electrode (AgSAE) was used for differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) measurements of cysteine and cysteine-containing peptides, glutathione, gamma-Glu-Cys-Gly and phytochelatin (gamma-Glu-Cys)(3)-Gly (PC3), in the presence of Co(II) ions. It had been established earlier that cysteine-containing peptides and proteins catalyze hydrogen evolution at mercury electrodes in presence of cobalt salts; these processes are known as the Brdicka reaction. DPV signals measured with the AgSAE, the surfaces of which had been modified by mercury meniscus or mercury film, were qualitatively the same as those obtained with the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). With these electrodes the number and the intensity of Brdicka signals of cysteine, glutathione and PC3 differed, making a distinction among them possible. On the other hand, with the polished silver solid amalgam electrode (the surface of which was completely free of liquid mercury) all three compounds produced only one but strikingly intense peak in the region of Brdicka reaction. Using this signal, cysteine, glutathione as well as PC3 could be determined at 10(-8)M level, representing sensitivity up to 2 orders of magnitude better than attained with the mercury-modified AgSAEs or HMDE.     

Zum System H2O2, Fe2+-, Fe3+-Ion

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Intramolecular interactions in protonated peptides: H+ PheGlyGly and H+ GlyGlyPhe

The conformations of protonated PheGlyGly and GlyGlyPhe tripeptides, generated at temperatures approximately 300-350 K through a photochemical mechanism, were investigated in the gas phase using R-IRMPD spectroscopy in the OH and NH stretch region in combination with quantum chemistry calculations. The results aid characterisation of their conformational landscapes and specifically, help identify the intramolecular interactions that control the peptide conformations. The dominant intramolecular interaction in protonated PheGlyGly operates between the N-and C-termini but in protonated GlyGlyPhe there is a strong cation-pi interaction. The observation of a cation-pi interaction in the warm ions highlights its strong, stable nature.     

LIAD-fs scheme for studies of ultrafast laser interactions with gas phase biomolecules

Laser induced acoustic desorption (LIAD) has been used for the first time to study the parent ion production and fragmentation mechanisms of a biological molecule in an intense femtosecond (fs) laser field. The photoacoustic shock wave generated in the analyte substrate (thin Ta foil) has been simulated using the hydrodynamic HYADES code, and the full LIAD process has been experimentally characterised as a function of the desorption UV-laser pulse parameters. Observed neutral plumes of densities >10(9) cm(-3) which are free from solvent or matrix contamination demonstrate the suitability and potential of the source for studying ultrafast dynamics in the gas phase using fs laser pulses. Results obtained with phenylalanine show that through manipulation of fundamental femtosecond laser parameters (such as pulse length, intensity and wavelength), energy deposition within the molecule can be controlled to allow enhancement of parent ion production or generation of characteristic fragmentation patterns. In particular by reducing the pulse length to a timescale equivalent to the fastest vibrational periods in the molecule, we demonstrate how fragmentation of the molecule can be minimised whilst maintaining a high ionisation efficiency.