非共价复合物的电喷雾质谱分析

非共价复合物一直是质谱分析的难点,因为这些复合物大多以氢键、范德华力、疏水作用、静电作用、金属配位作用等非共价弱键形成,常规质谱相对过于剧烈的离子化条件不利于非共价复合物的检测.但由于在许多生命现象、药物筛选以及超分子化合物中都涉及到分子之间的相互作用以及相互识别过程,而且人们普遍认识到非共价复合物是这些过程形成的基础,因此许多科学工作者都致力于非共价复合物该前沿课题的开发研究,并且迫切需要发展一种分析工具来辅助解析这种现象.电喷雾离子化(ESI)技术作为一种"软"电离技术,以及它在分析极性生物大分子中得天独厚的优势,近年来被广泛的应用在非共价复合物研究上.国内由于生物质谱技术起步较晚,这个领域至今没有获得充分的发展,本论文在ESI正交离子引入飞行时间质谱上,开展了非共价复合物分析的一些初步研究.     

用生物质谱方法研究抗肿瘤双β-咔啉与DNA及核苷酸的非共价结合

利用电喷雾傅里叶变换离子回旋共振质谱研究一系列双β-咔啉化合物与DNA的非共价结合. 发现化合物1—5与5种不同序列的12-mer双链DNA均有明显的非共价结合, 并且有两个β-咔啉环之间连接碳链的长度对此类化合物与双链DNA的非共价结合活性有明显影响. 同时对此类化合物对于DNA非共价结合的序列选择性进行了讨论. 另外还利用电喷雾离子阱质谱研究了双β-咔啉化合物2和4与4种单核苷酸的非共价结合.     

间歇电喷雾的初步研究

设计了一种高灵敏的质谱离子化方法-间歇电喷雾，并介绍了间歇电喷雾的基本原理、稳定性和应用在蛋白质分析上的优势。这种质谱离子化方法能够显著地改善信噪比，降低对样品溶解度的要求，提高样品的离子化效率，减少样品的消耗和仪器的污染，可以预言间歇电喷雾的方法在蛋白质的分析上将会有广泛的应用前景。     

谷胱甘肽与D型氨基酸非共价复合物的质谱

为了研究谷胱甘肽和D型氨基酸的非共价相互作用, 将一定化学剂量比的还原型谷胱甘肽与D-苯丙氨酸、D-组氨酸或D-谷氨酰胺在室温下混合后, 温育1 h, 使反应达到平衡. 电喷雾质谱测量结果表明, 在生理pH条件下, 谷胱甘肽可以和D 型氨基酸经反应生成非共价复合物. 串级质谱中的碰撞诱导解离(CID)以及紫外光谱进一步确认了非共价复合物的生成. 为了避免严重的离子化效率和质谱信号相互抑制作用, 对谷胱甘肽和D-谷氨酰胺的相互作用作了定量的评估. 配制一系列不同初始浓度的谷胱甘肽和D型氨基酸的混合溶液, 并用电喷雾质谱测定混合溶液中不同质点的质谱峰强度, 计算了谷胱甘肽与三个D型氨基酸结合形成的复合物的解离常数. 计算结果表明, 谷胱甘肽可以和D型氨基酸结合形成不同键合强度的非共价复合物, 其稳定性按照D-谷氨酰胺、D-苯丙氨酸、D-组氨酸的次序逐渐增大.     

质谱电喷雾离子源中电化学与电晕放电氧化还原反应的研究进展

质谱电喷雾离子化过程中包含两类氧化还原反应:电化学氧化还原和电晕放电氧化还原。一方面,这两类反应干扰谱图解析、降低分析物的检测灵敏度;另一方面,利用氧化还原的特性可发展新型离子源,提高电喷雾离子化过程中难离子化化合物的离子化效率,研究蛋白质相互作用等。该文系统地介绍了国内外对于电化学氧化还原反应和电晕放电氧化还原反应的最近研究进展,主要包括此两类反应的弊端、应用价值,以及控制两类反应的方法。最后总结了区分两种反应的方法,并对电喷雾离子源的发展进行了展望。     

生物质谱

质谱已成为生物和生物化学研究的一个重要的分析工具,特别是在蛋白质组学研究的作用更显突出.它的分析速度、准确性和灵敏度都是传统分析技术所不可比拟的.主要介绍了两种近年来发展最为迅速、应用最为广泛的软离子化质谱技术:即基体辅助激光解吸离子化质谱(MALDI-MS)和电喷雾离子化质谱(ESI-MS)的原理、技术的最新进展,并简单介绍了它们在蛋白质和多肽分析中的应用.     

氨基化环糊精与氨基酸包络物的电喷雾质谱研究

电喷雾质谱(ESI-MS)作为一种软电离质谱技术,已应用于研究准气相状态下通过各种非共价相互作用所形成的非共价复合物。本研究利用电喷雾飞行时间质谱(ESI-TOF-MS)测定了合成的氨基化环糊精与5种氨基酸所形成的1∶1包络物的结合常数(K),考察了质谱条件及溶液条件对结合常数的影响,通过比较结合常数的大小,探讨了氨基化环糊精与氨基酸在准气相状态下的作用方式。     

电喷雾质谱法研究谷胱甘肽与L型芳香性氨基酸非共价复合物

为探索谷胱甘肽和L型芳香性氨基酸的非共价相互作用, 将一定化学剂量比的还原型γ-谷胱甘肽分别与L型芳香性氨基酸(包括苯丙氨酸、酪氨酸和色氨酸)在室温和生理pH条件下混合后, 温育1 h, 生成非共价复合物, 并使反应完全. 电喷雾质谱测量结果揭示谷胱甘肽和L型芳香性氨基酸反应可以生成非共价复合物. 在二级串级质谱MS2测得的复合物碎片离子峰中, 除芳香性氨基酸离子峰外, 还包括谷胱甘肽及其它再次碎裂产生的b2和y2碎片离子, 进一步确认了非共价复合物的形成. 紫外光谱也证实了电喷雾质谱的实验结果. 为避免严重的离子化效率差异和质谱信号的相互抑制作用, 定量评估了谷胱甘肽和酪氨酸的相互作用, 结果显示反应物的初始浓度应该选择在5×10-5~3.00×10-4 mol/L范围内. 用质谱滴定法测定了谷胱甘肽与3个芳香性氨基酸非共价复合物的解离常数, 结果表明, 谷胱甘肽复合物的稳定性按Tyr, Trp和Phe次序依次增大.     

β-环糊精与蛋白质非共价复合物的电喷雾质谱研究

电喷雾质谱(ESI-MS)已经广泛应用于非共价复合物的检测和研究。ESI是一种极软的离子化过程,它不仅能在不断裂共价键的情况下使分子离子化,而且可以在离子化过程中保持分子间弱的非共价键作用。因此ESI-MS在研究非共价键复合物方面有着独特的作用,并且ESI-MS还能提供复合物重要的化学计量学信息。环糊精(简写为CD)是一类被大家所熟知的化合物,它可以和许多客体分子在水溶液里形成包合复合物,更为重要的是环糊精是目前人工合成模拟酶研究中最好的模型之一。通过对环糊精与生物分子间形成的非共价键复合物的研究常常可以揭示出天然生物体     

电喷雾质谱的非共价键蛋白质复合物研究

电喷雾质谱(ESI-MS)已经成为检测和研究生物分子弱相互作用,即非共价键作用的一个重要分析手段.ESI-MS除了具有快速、灵敏、专属的特点以外,还有能够直接得出复合物的分子量和化学计量比的优点.本文通过蛋白质与蛋白质、配体、金属离子的非共价复合物的例子阐述了ESI-MS技术的主要特性,综述了ESI-MS在非共价键蛋白质复合物方面的早期和近期应用研究成果.引用文献34篇.     

Electrospray Mass Spectrometry of Biomacromolecular Complexes with Noncovalent Interactions—New Analytical Perspectives for Supramolecular Chemistry and Molecular Recognition Processes

The development of “soft” ionization methods in recent years has enabled substantial progress in the mass spectrometric characterization of macromolecules, in particular important biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids. In contrast to the still existing limitations for the determination of molecular weights by other ionization methods such as fast atom bombardment and plasma desorption, electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption have provided a breakthrough to macromolecules larger than 100 kDa. Whereas these methods have been successfully applied to determine the molecular weight and primary structure of biopolymers, the recently discovered direct characterization by ESI-MS of complexes containing noncovalent interactions (“noncovalent complexes”) opens new perspectives for supramolecular chemistry and analytical biochemistry. Unlike other ionization methods ESI-MS can be performed in homogeneous solution and under nearly physiological conditions of pH, concentration, and temperature. ESI mass spectra of biopolymers, particularly proteins, exhibit series of multiply charged macromolecular ions with charge states and distributions (“charge structures”) characteristic of structural states in solution, which enable a differentiation between native and denatured tertiary structures. In the first part of this article, fundamental principles, the present knowledge about ion formation mechanism(s) of ESI-MS, the relations between tertiary structures in solution and charge structures of macro-ions in the gas phase, and experimental preconditions for the identification of noncovalent complexes are described. The hitherto successful applications to the identification of enzyme–substrate and –inhibitor complexes, supramolecular protein–and protein–nucleotide complexes, double-stranded polynucleotides, as well as synthetic self-assembled complexes demonstrate broad potential for the direct analysis of specific noncovalent interactions. The present results suggest new applications for the characterization of supramolecular structures and molecular recognition processes that previously have not been amenable to mass spectrometry; for example, the sequence-specific oligomerization of polypeptides, antigen–antibody complexes, enzyme–and receptor–ligand interactions, and the evaluation of molecular specificity in combinatorial syntheses and self-assembled systems.     

Top-down ESI-ECD-FT-ICR mass spectrometry localizes noncovalent protein-ligand binding sites

Mass spectrometry (MS) with electrospray ionization (ESI) has the capability to measure and detect noncovalent protein-ligand and protein-protein complexes. However, information on the sites of ligand binding is not easily obtained by the ESI-MS methodology. Electron capture dissociation (ECD) favors cleavage of covalent backbone bonds of protein molecules. We show that this characteristic of ECD translates to noncovalent protein-ligand complexes, as covalent backbone bonds of protein complexes are dissociated, but the noncovalent ligand interaction is retained. For the complex formed from 140-residue, 14.5 kDa alpha-synuclein protein, and one molecule of polycationic spermine (202 Da), ECD generates product ions that retain the protein-spermine noncovalent interaction. Spermine binding is localized to residues 106-138; the ECD data are consistent with previous solution NMR studies. Our studies suggest that ECD mass spectrometry can be used to determine directly the sites of ligand binding to protein targets.     

Detection of noncovalent complex between alpha-amylase and its microbial inhibitor tendamistat by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is now routinely used for detection of noncovalent complexes. However, detection of noncovalent protein-protein complexes is not a widespread practice and still produces some challenges for mass spectrometrists. Here we demonstrate the detection of a noncovalent protein-protein complex between alpha-amylase and its microbial inhibitor tendamistat using ESI-MS. Crude porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase was purified using a glycogen precipitation method. Noncovalent complexes between porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase and its microbial inhibitor tendamistat are probed and detected using ESI-MS. The atmosphere-vacuum ESI conditions along with solution conditions and the ratio of inhibitor over enzyme strongly affect the detection of noncovalent complexes in the gas phase. ESI mass spectra of alpha-amylase at pH 7 exhibited charge states significantly lower than that reported previously, which is indicative of a native protein conformation necessary to produce a noncovalent complex. Detection of noncovalent complexes in the gas phase suggests that further use of conventional biochemical approaches to provide a qualitative, and in some cases even quantitative, characterization of equilibria of noncovalent complexes in solution is possible.     

Investigation of the first shot phenomenon in MALDI mass spectrometry of protein complexes

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) of noncovalent protein complexes is difficult, due to the disruptive nature of processes occurring during MALDI sample preparation and ion formation. Sometimes the observation of intact noncovalent protein complexes with MALDI is only possible if data are acquired from the first laser shot fired at a fresh sample; this is called the 'first shot phenomenon'. To study the origin of the first shot phenomenon, we used MALDI-MS and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to examine typical MALDI sample preparations with embedded protein complexes, labeled with fluorophores. Fluorescence energy transfer techniques allowed the differentiation between intact and dissociated protein complexes with CLSM. In cases where a first shot behavior was observed by MALDI-MS, it was found to be accompanied by localization of protein complexes at the exterior of the sample crystals. Segregation of the large protein complexes to the exterior and dissociation of the complexes in the crystal interior during sample crystallization can rationalize this observation.     

Applications of luminescent inorganic and organometallic transition metal complexes as biomolecular and cellular probes

The rich photophysical properties of luminescent inorganic and organometallic transition metal complexes, such as their intense, long-lived, and environment-sensitive emission, render them excellent candidates for biological and cellular studies. In this Perspective, we review examples of biological probes derived from luminescent transition metal complexes with a d(6), d(8), or d(10) metal center. The design of luminescent covalent labels and noncovalent probes for protein molecules is discussed. Additionally, the recent applications of these complexes as cellular probes and bioimaging reagents are described. Emphasis is put on the structural features, photophysical behavior, biomolecular interactions, cellular uptake, and intracellular localization properties of luminescent transition metal complexes.     

Covalent versus Noncovalent Binding of Ruthenium η6-p-Cymene Complexes to Zinc-Finger Protein NCp7

Ruthenium–arene complexes are a unique class of organometallic compounds that have been shown to have prominent therapeutic potencies. Here, we have investigated the interactions of Ru-cymene complexes with a zinc-finger protein NCp7, aiming to understand the effects of various ligands on the reaction. Five different binding modes were observed on selected Ru-complexes. Ru-cymene complex can bind to proteins through either noncovalent binding alone or through a combination of covalent and noncovalent binding modes. Moreover, the noncovalent interaction can promote the coordination of Ru^II to NCp7, resulting synergistic effects of the different ligands. The binding of Ru(Cym) complexes leads to dysfunction of NCp7 through zinc-ejection and structural perturbation. These results indicate that the reactivity of Ru-complexes can be modulated by ligands through different approaches, which could be closely correlated to their different therapeutic effects.     

Analysis of quaternary protein ensembles by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

The intact noncovalent structure of the homo-oligomeric complexes of streptavidin (52 kDa), alcohol dehydrogenase (150 kDa), and beef liver catalase (240 kDa) have been observed using the matrix 2,6-dihydroxyacetophenone in an organic solvent. Intact streptavidin tetramers could also be observed with ferulic acid and other hydroxyacetophenone derivatives. Intact complexes are observed only for the first shot at a given position, which may be due to physical segregation or precipitation of the noncovalent complexes at the crystal surface. This effect is independent of the macroscopic crystal structure or the type of substrate (hydrophobic versus hydrophilic). Observation of intact complexes is not affected by addition of less than 10 mM salts or buffers, and appears to be independent of the pH stability range of the protein samples investigated.     

Probing the hydrophobic effect of noncovalent complexes by mass spectrometry

The study of noncovalent interactions by mass spectrometry has become an active field of research in recent years. The role of the different noncovalent intermolecular forces is not yet fully understood since they tend to be modulated upon transfer into the gas phase. The hydrophobic effect, which plays a major role in protein folding, adhesion of lipid bilayers, etc., is absent in the gas phase. Here, noncovalent complexes with different types of interaction forces were investigated by mass spectrometry and compared with the complex present in solution. Creatine kinase (CK), glutathione S-transferase (GST), ribonuclease S (RNase S), and leucine zipper (LZ), which have dissociation constants in the nM range, were studied by native nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry (nanoESI-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) combined with chemical cross-linking (XL). Complexes interacting with hydrogen bonds survived the transfer into gas phase intact and were observed by nanoESI-MS. Complexes that are bound largely by the hydrophobic effect in solution were not detected or only at very low intensity. Complexes with mixed polar and hydrophobic interactions were detected by nanoESI-MS, most likely due to the contribution from polar interactions. All noncovalent complexes could easily be studied by XL MALDI-MS, which demonstrates that the noncovalently bound complexes are conserved, and a real “snap-shot” of the situation in solution can be obtained.     

MALDI方法研究蛋白质的非共价复合物

飞行时间质谱仪(TOFMS)在理论上无质量范围的限制,可实现大分子蛋白质与核酸的非共价复合物的直接检测.特别是在近中性溶液条件下通过对芥子酸和6-氮杂-2-硫代胸腺嘧啶基质的使用及双层样品制备方法的改善,获得了稳定复合物的高灵敏度质谱检测.肌红蛋白-血红素复合物能够在芥子酸基质的不同pH条件下(pH2.0或pH5.0)同时观察到.而运用双层样品制备方法,获得了核糖核酸酶复合物(RNaseS)在第一次激光照射下的突出质谱峰,但其丰度均随更多的激光打击而减弱.     

Chemical Strategies for Generating Protein Biochips

Protein biochips are at the heart of many medical and bioanalytical applications. Increasing interest has been focused on surface activation and subsequent functionalization strategies for immobilizing these biomolecules. Different approaches using covalent and noncovalent chemistry are reviewed; particular emphasis is placed on the chemical specificity of protein attachment and on retention of protein function. Strategies for creating protein patterns (as opposed to protein arrays) are also outlined. An outlook on promising and challenging future directions for protein biochip research and applications is also offered.