Efficient in-gel digestion procedure using 5-cyclohexyl-1-pentyl-beta-D-maltoside as an additive for gel-based membrane proteomics

A cycloalkyl aliphatic saccharide, 5-cyclohexyl-1-pentyl-beta-D-maltoside (CYMAL-5), was evaluated as a novel additive in a high-throughput in-gel protein digestion system using 96-well plates. Addition of 0.1% CYMAL-5 (final concentration) during trypsin treatment was compatible with both matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) analysis, and gave a better digestion efficiency than n-octylglucoside, which we previously reported. In-gel reduction and alkylation of Cys residues under denaturing conditions also improved the sequence coverage of peptides. In-gel tryptic digestion with the optimum combination of 0.5 mm thick gels, negative staining, alkylation under denaturing conditions (6 M guanidine hydrochloride), and digestion in the presence of CYMAL-5, gave excellent performance especially for membrane protein analysis, where recovery of hydrophobic peptides was markedly enhanced. The new protocol is simple and convenient, and should be widely applicable to gel-based proteomics.     

Rapid and efficient glycoprotein identification through microwave-assisted enzymatic digestion

Identification of protein glycosylation sites is analytically challenging due to the diverse glycan structures associated with a glycoprotein. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based identification and characterization of glycoproteins has been achieved predominantly with the bottom-up approach, which typically involves the enzymatic cleavage of proteins to peptides prior to LC/MS or LC/MS/MS analysis. However, the process can be challenging due to the structural variations and steric hindrance imposed by the attached glycans. Alternatives to conventional heating protocols, that increase the rate of enzymatic cleavage of glycoproteins, may aid in addressing these challenges. An enzymatic digestion of a glycoprotein can be accelerated and made more efficient through microwave-assisted digestion. In this paper, a systematic study was conducted to explore the efficiency of microwave-assisted enzymatic (trypsin) digestion (MAED) of glycoproteins as compared with the conventional method. In addition, the optimum experimental parameters for the digestion such as temperature, reaction time, and microwave radiation power were investigated. It was determined that efficient tryptic digestion of glycoproteins was attained in 15 min, allowing comparable if not better sequence coverage through LC/MS/MS analysis. Optimum tryptic cleavage was achieved at 45°C irrespective of the size and complexity of the glycoprotein. Moreover, MAED allowed the detection and identification of more peptides and subsequently higher sequence coverage for all model glycoprotein. MAED also did not appear to prompt a loss or partial cleavage of the glycan moieties attached to the peptide backbones.     

Improvement of gel‐separated protein identification by DMF‐assisted digestion and peptide recovery after electroblotting

In‐gel digestion of gel‐separated proteins is a major route to assist in proteomics‐based biological discovery, which, however, is often embarrassed by its inherent limitations such as the low digestion efficiency and the low recovery of proteolytic peptides. For overcoming these limitations, many efforts have been directed at developing alternative methods to avoid the in‐digestion. Here, we present a new method for efficient protein digestion and tryptic peptide recovery, which involved electroblotting gel‐separated proteins onto a PVDF membrane, excising the PVDF bands containing protein of interest, and dissolving the bands with pure DMF (≥99.8%). Before tryptic digestion, NH₄HCO₃ buffer was added to moderately adjust the DMF concentration (to 40%) in order for trypsin to exert its activity. Experimental results using protein standards showed that, due to actions of DMF in dissolving PVDF membrane and the membrane‐bound substances, the proteins were virtually in‐solution digested in DMF‐containing buffer. This protocol allowed more efficient digestion and peptide recovery, thereby increasing the sequence coverage and the confidence of protein identification. The comparative study using rat hippocampal membrane‐enriched sample showed that the method was superior to the reported on‐membrane tryptic digestion for further protein identification, including low abundant and/or highly hydrophobic membrane proteins.     

Mass spectrometric study of the effects of hydrophobic surface chemistry and morphology on the digestion of surface-bound proteins

Our previous work has demonstrated that reversed-phase chromatographic micro-beads can be used to capture proteins from complex biological matrices and the surface-bound proteins can be enzymatically digested for protein identification by mass spectrometry (MS). Here we examine the peptides generated from digestion of proteins bound to various types of micro-bead surfaces in order to determine the effects of surface chemistry and surface morphology on the digestion process. Detailed examinations of site cleavages and sequence coverage are carried out for a tryptic digestion of cytochrome c adsorbed on reversed-phase polystyrene divinylbenzene (Poros R2 beads) versus C(18) bonded-phase silica beads. It is shown that although the surface does not completely hinder the digestion of cleavage sites of the protein, the digestion products are clearly different than those obtained from a solution digest. Specifically, a partial digestion results from surface digestion, resulting in a greater number of missed cleavages than a comparable solution digest. Subsequent comparisons of peptide mass maps generated from the digestion of various proteins on surfaces with altering chemistry (C(4), C(8), C(18), and R2 beads), or with different surface morphology, were performed. The results reveal that surface chemistry plays only a minor role in affecting the peptide mass maps, and surface morphology had no noticeable effects on the resulting peptide mass maps. It is also shown that the mass spectrometric detection method used to analyze the digested peptides can significantly influence the information content on cleavage sites and the extent of sequence coverage. The use of a combination of MALDI, LC/off-line MALDI, and LC/ESI MS is demonstrated to be crucial in revealing subtle changes in the peptide mass maps.     

Proteomics of gluten: mapping of the 1Bx7 glutenin subunit in Chinese Spring cultivar by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization

The verification of the cDNA-deduced sequence of the high molecular weight glutenin subunit 1Bx7 in Chinese Spring cultivar was achieved by direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) analysis of the tryptic fragments. The published sequence of the 1Bx7 subunit contains 5 Lys and 15 Arg residues but, due to the presence of three Arg-Pro bonds, which are generally resistant to cleavage by trypsin, or cleaved to a very limited extent by trypsin, 19 peptides can be predicted. The identification of the tryptic fragments was achieved by direct MALDI-MS analysis by using three different matrices (DHB, SA and HCCA) in combination with the most compatible sample preparation procedures in order to obtain the maximum sequence coverage. MALDI analysis of the 1Bx7 tryptic digest resulted in the identification of the expected peptides and additional fragments arising from non-specific cleavages; the fragments that were not detected are peptides with low mass (from 147.2 to 317.4), so we obtained a sequence coverage of 98.8%. The results reported here also indicated that the sequence of the 1Bx7 subunit from cv. Chinese Spring is different from the cDNA-deduced sequence reported in the literature; in particular, a possible insertion of the hexapeptide QPGQGQ within the sequence Gln630-Tyr725 was suggested. Finally, it is possible to rule out glycosylation of the 1Bx7 subunit, or any other post-translational modification, to within the detection limits of the method.     

Microwave-assisted acid hydrolysis of proteins combined with liquid chromatography MALDI MS/MS for protein identification

Simple and efficient digestion of proteins, particularly hydrophobic membrane proteins, is of significance for comprehensive proteome analysis using the bottom-up approach. We report a microwave-assisted acid hydrolysis (MAAH) method for rapid protein degradation for peptide mass mapping and tandem mass spectrometric analysis of peptides for protein identification. It uses 25% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) aqueous solution to dissolve or suspend proteins, followed by microwave irradiation for 10 min. This detergent-free method generates peptide mixtures that can be directly analyzed by liquid chromatography (LC) matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) without the need of extensive sample cleanup. LC-MALDI MS/MS analysis of the hydrolysate from 5 microg of a model transmembrane protein, bacteriorhodopsin, resulted in almost complete sequence coverage by the peptides detected, including the identification of two posttranslational modification sites. Cleavage of peptide bonds inside all seven transmembrane domains took place, generating peptides of sizes amenable to MS/MS to determine possible sequence errors or modifications within these domains. Cleavage specificity, such as glycine residue cleavage, was observed. Terminal peptides were found to be present in relatively high abundance in the hydrolysate, particularly when low concentrations of proteins were used for MAAH. It was shown that these peptides could still be detected from MAAH of bacteriorhodopsin at a protein concentration of 1 ng/microl or 37 fmol/microl. To evaluate the general applicability of this method, it was applied to identify proteins from a membrane protein enriched fraction of cell lysates of human breast cancer cell line MCF7. With one-dimensional LC-MALDI MS/MS, a total of 119 proteins, including 41 membrane-associated or membrane proteins containing one to 12 transmembrane domains, were identified by MS/MS database searching based on matches of at least two peptides to a protein.     

Peptide mapping by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography employing silica rod monoliths

In this paper, a general procedure is described for the generation of peptide maps of proteins with monolithic silica-based columns. The peptide fragments were obtained by tryptic digestion of various cytochrome c species with purification of the tryptic fragments achieved by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic methods. Peak assignment of the various peptides was based on evaluation of the biophysical properties of the individual peptides and via mass spectrometric identification. The performance of several different monolithic sorbents prepared as columns of identical cross-sectional dimensions were investigated as part of these peptide mapping studies and the data evaluated by applying solvent strength theory. These studies revealed curvilinear dependencies in the corresponding relative resolution maps. These findings directly impact on the selection of specific sorbent types or column configurations for peptide separations with silica rod monoliths. Moreover, the influence of variations in the amino acid sequence of the cytochrome cs were evaluated with respect to their effect on intrinsic hydrophobicity, the number of experimental observed tryptic cleavage sites, detection limits of the derived fragments in relation to their molecular size, and the chromatographic selectivity and resolution of the various peptides obtained following enzymatic fragmentation of the parent protein. Finally, the scope of these approaches in method development was examined in terms of robustness and efficiency.     

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric peptide mapping of high molecular weight glutenin subunits 1Bx7 and 1Dy10 in Cheyenne cultivar

This study describes the verification of the cDNA-deduced amino acid sequences of high molecular weight glutenin subunits 1Dy10 and 1Bx7 in Cheyenne cultivar by direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) analysis of their tryptic fragments omitting chromatographic pre-separation. These polypeptides have a conserved structure consisting of a long central repetitive domain that prevents the application of conventional sequencing procedures such as Edman degradation. The published sequence of subunit 1Dy10 contains 7 Lys and 13 Arg residues; thus the production of 21 tryptic peptides is expected. The cDNA-deduced sequence for 1Bx7 subunit includes 5 Lys and 15 Arg residues, but the presence of three Arg-Pro bonds, which are normally not cleaved by trypsin, predicts only 19 tryptic peptides. Three different matrices (DHB, SA and HCCA) in combination with the most compatible sample preparation procedures were used in order to obtain the maximum 1Dy10 and 1Bx7 sequence coverage. MALDI analysis of the 1Dy10 tryptic digest resulted in the identification of all 21 expected peptides. In the case of 1Bx7 MALDI analysis resulted in the identification of 17 of the 19 expected peptides, giving a sequence coverage of 99.3%. These results were sufficient to rule out glycosylation of the 1Dy10 and 1Bx7 proteins and to assess the absence of any other post-translational modification, to within the detection limits of the method.     

On particle ionization/enrichment of multifunctional nanoprobes: washing/separation-free, acceleration and enrichment of microwave-assisted tryptic digestion of proteins via bare TiO2 nanoparticles in ESI-MS and comparing to MALDI-MS

A simple, rapid, straightforward and washing/separation free of in-solution digestion method for microwave-assisted tryptic digestion of proteins (cytochrome c, lysozyme and myoglobin) using bare TiO(2) nanoparticles (NPs) prepared in aqueous solution to serve as multifunctional nanoprobes in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was demonstrated. The current approach is termed as 'on particle ionization/enrichment (OPIE)' and it can be applied in ESI-MS, atmospheric pressure-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (AP-MALDI-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The bare TiO(2) NPs can assist, accelerate and effectively enhance the digestion efficiency, sequence coverage and detection sensitivity of peptides for the microwave-assisted tryptic digestion of proteins in ESI-MS. The reason is attributed to the fact that proteins or partially digested proteins are easily attracted or concentrated onto the surface of TiO(2) NPs, resulting in higher efficiency of digestion reactions in the microwave experiments. Besides, the TiO(2) NPs could act as a microwave absorber to accelerate and enrich the protein fragments in a short period of time (40-60 s) from the microwave experiments in ESI-MS. Furthermore, the bare TiO(2) NPs prepared in aqueous solution exhibit high adsorption capability toward the protein fragments (peptides); thus, the OPIE approach for detecting the digested protein fragments via ESI and MALDI ionization could be achieved. The current technique is also a washing and separation-free technique for accelerating and enriching microwave-assisted tryptic digestion of proteins in the ESI-MS and MALDI-MS. It exhibits potential to be widely applied to biotechnology and proteome research in the near future.     

Optimized sample-processing time and peptide recovery for the mass spectrometric analysis of protein digests

Proteomics requires an optimized level of sample-processing, including a minimal sample-processing time and an optimal peptide recovery from protein digests, in order to maximize the percentage sequence coverage and to improve the accuracy of protein identification. The conventional methods of protein characterization from one-dimensional or two-dimensional gels include the destaining of an excised gel piece, followed by an overnight in-gel enzyme digestion. The aims of this study were to determine whether: (1) stained gels can be used without any destaining for trypsin digestion and mass spectrometry (MS); (2) tryptic peptides can be recovered from a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) target plate for a subsequent analysis with liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to an electrospray ionization (ESI) quadrupole ion trap MS; and (3) an overnight in-gel digestion is necessary for protein characterization with MS. These three strategies would significantly improve sample throughput. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was the model biological fluid used to develop these methods. CSF was desalted by gel filtration, and CSF proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DGE). Proteins were visualized with either silver, Coomassie, or Stains-All (counterstained with silver). None of the gels was destained. Protein spots were in-gel trypsin digested, the tryptic peptides were purified with ZipTip, and the peptides were analyzed with MALDI and ESI MS. Some of the samples that were spotted onto a wax-coated MALDI target plate were recovered and analyzed with ESI MS. All three types of stained gels were compatible with MALDI and ESI MS without any destaining. In-gel trypsin digestion can be performed in only 10-60 min for protein characterization with MS, the sample can be recovered from the MALDI target plate for use in ESI MS, and there was a 90% reduction in sample-processing time from overnight to ca. 3 h.     

Vortex-assisted tryptic digestion

The effect of vortex‐induced vibration during tryptic digestion was investigated by applying different vibrational speeds (0, 600, 1200, or 2500 rpm) to digestion solutions for varying durations (10, 20, 30, 40, or 60 min) at two different incubation temperatures (25°C or 37°C). The most rapid digestion was observed with the highest vibrational speed and temperature. With the application of 2500 rpm at 37°C, the tryptic digestion of each of three standard proteins (cytochrome c, myoglobin, or bovine serum albumin) provided complete disappearance of the protein within 60 min, as determined by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Compared to conventional overnight digestion, 60‐min vortex‐assisted tryptic digestion generated longer peptides, due primarily to the limited digestion time and provided better sequence coverages (89% vs. 78% for cytochrome c, 100% vs. 87% for myoglobin, and 38% vs. 26% for BSA). The longer peptides should be advantageous to analytical methods such as the middle‐down approach that benefit from increased sequence coverage of proteins. Vortex‐assisted tryptic digestion is expected to be a useful method for rapid tryptic digestion of proteins. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Purification of hydrophilic and hydrophobic peptide fragments on a single reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic column

Hydrophilic peptides generated from enzymic fragmentation of proteins are difficult to purify because they are either weakly bound or unretained by the reversed phase C₁₈ columns favoured for liquid chromatographic separation of peptide mixtures. To overcome this difficulty, peptides that were not bound or only weakly bound by a C₁₈ RP column were reacted with phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC), as used in the initial step in Edman sequencing. The hydrophobic phenylthiocarbamyl (PTC) peptide derivatives produced by the reaction were rechromatographed on the same column. Peptides generated by tryptic digestion of equine cytochrome C were used as a model system to test whether a complete set of peptide fragments could be purified by this method using just one column and solvent system. All the expected hydrophobic tryptic peptides bound to the RP column and were resolved by elution with acetonitrile, but no hydrophilic peptides were recovered as pure fractions. The column breakthrough fraction was reacted with PITC and rechromatographed on the same column, producing a profile consisting of 19 bound peaks. Further rechromatography of some of the fractions at different column temperatures enabled all six of the expected hydrophilic peptides to be purified and identified. The technique has also been applied to the sequence determination of coat protein from peanut stripe potyvirus protein, eight hydrophilic tryptic peptides being recovered and identified as PTC derivatives.     

Sequencing Lys-N Proteolytic Peptides by ESI and MALDI Tandem Mass Spectrometry

In this study, we explored the MS/MS behavior of various synthetic peptides that possess a lysine residue at the N-terminal position. These peptides were designed to mimic peptides produced upon proteolysis by the Lys-N enzyme, a metalloendopeptidase issued from a Japanese fungus Grifola frondosa that was recently investigated in proteomic studies as an alternative to trypsin digestion, as a specific cleavage at the amide X-Lys chain is obtained that provides N-terminal lysine peptide fragments. In contrast to tryptic peptides exhibiting a lysine or arginine residue solely at the C-terminal position, and are thus devoid of such basic amino acids within the sequence, these Lys-N proteolytic peptides can contain the highly basic arginine residue anywhere within the peptide chain. The fragmentation patterns of such sequences with the ESI-QqTOF and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometers commonly used in proteomic bottom-up experiments were investigated.     

Multifunctional protein processing chip with integrated digestion, solid-phase extraction, separation and electrospray

We describe a microfluidic device in which integrated tryptic digestion, SPE, CE separation and electrospray ionization for MS are performed. The chip comprised of 10 × 30 μm channels for CE, and two serially connected 150?μm deep, 800?μm wide channels packed with 40 to 60 μm diameter beads, loaded with either immobilized trypsin, reversed-phase packing or both. On-chip digestion of cytochrome c using the trypsin bed showed complete consumption of the protein in 3 min, in contrast to the 2 h required for conventional solution phase tryptic digestion. SPE of 0.25 μg/mL solutions of the peptides leu-enkephalin, angiotensin II and LHRH gave concentration enhancements in the range of 4.4-12, for a ten times nominal volume ratio. A 100 nM cytochrome c sample concentrated 13.3 times on-chip gave a sequence coverage of 85.6%, with recovery values ranging from 41.2 to 106%. The same sample run without SPE showed only five fragment peaks and a sequence coverage of 41.3%. When both on-chip digestion and SPE (13.3 volume ratio concentration enhancement) were performed on 200 nM cytochrome c samples, a sequence coverage of 76.0% and recovery values of 21-105% were observed. Performing on-chip digestion alone on the same sample gave only one significant fragment peak. The above digestion/peptide concentration step was compared to on-chip protein concentration by SPE followed by on-chip digestion with solution phase trypsin. Both procedures gave similar recovery results; however, much larger trypsin autodigestion interference in the latter approach was apparent.     

Proteomics of gluten: mapping of subunit 1 Ax2* in Cheyenne cultivar by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization.

This paper reports results on the verification of the 1Ax2* high molecular weight glutenin subunit sequence in Cheyenne cultivar. The gene sequence of the protein is known but recently some text changes have been made, and furthermore until now no characterization of post-translational modifications has been reported. The two published sequences, named I and II, differ in four residues at positions 23, 208, 475, and 611. The first sequence contains 20 Arg and 6 Lys residues, producing 26 tryptic fragments, since the Arg(109)-Pro(110) bond is generally not cleaved by trypsin. The second sequence contains 19 Arg and 6 Lys residues, producing 25 tryptic peptides, again because of the Arg(109)-Pro(110) bond. Both sequences generate two cyanogen bromide fragments. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization analysis of the tryptic digest of the high-MW glutenin subunit 1Ax2* resulted in the identification of 24 out of the 26 expected peptides for sequence I, a sequence coverage of 99.5%. These results were sufficient to rule out sequence II and any protein glycosylation and any other post-translational modifications to within the detection limits of the method. It was found that the choice of matrix considerably influenced the sequence coverage in peptide mapping.     

Gas-phase cleavage of PTC-derivatized electrosprayed tryptic peptides in an FT-ICR trapped-ion cell: Mass-based protein identification without liquid chromatographic separation

Condensed phase protein sequencing typically relies on N-terminal labeling with phenylisothiocyanate ("Edman" reagent), followed by cleavage of the N-terminal amino acid. Similar Edman degradation has been observed in the gas phase by collision-activated dissociation of the N-terminal phenyl thiocarbamoyl protonated peptide [1] to yield complementary b1 and y(n-1) fragments, identifying the N-terminal amino acid. By use of infrared multiphoton (rather than collisional) activation, and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (rather than quadrupole) mass analysis, we extend the method to direct analysis of a mixture of tryptic peptides. We validate the approach with bradykinin as a test peptide, and go on to analyze a mixture of 25 peptides produced by tryptic digestion of apomyoglobin. A b1+ ion is observed for three of the Edman-derivatized peptides, thereby identifying their N-terminal amino-acids. Search of the SWISS-PROT database gave a single hit (myoglobin, from the correct biological species), based on accurate-mass FT-ICR MS for as few as one Edman-derivatized tryptic peptide. The method is robust-it succeeds even with partial tryptic digestion, partial Edman derivatization, and partial MS/MS IRMPD cleavage. Improved efficiency and automation should be straightforward.     

赖氨酸C端内切酶/胰蛋白酶顺序酶切在蛋白质组学样本制备中的评估

采用胰蛋白酶(Trypsin)单独酶切与不同酶量的赖氨酸C端内切酶(Lys-C/trypsin)顺序酶切两种方法,对293T细胞全蛋白样本进行酶解消化,系统评估Lys-C/trypsin顺序酶切与Trypsin单一酶切在蛋白质组学样本制备中的差别.实验结果表明,Lys-C/trypsin顺序酶切不仅能显著提高肽段和蛋白质的鉴定数目,同时降低遗漏K酶切位点的数目及比例,而且得到的肽段长度有利于质谱鉴定,蛋白质覆盖率明显提升.通过对酶的用量进行优化对比,最终确定了Lys-C/trypsin顺序酶切时酶的合理用量.本研究结果对提高蛋白质组学样本的制备质量以及蛋白质的序列鉴定覆盖度具有指导意义.     

Analysis of staphylococcal enterotoxin A in milk by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry

Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) is an exotoxin excreted mainly by Staphylococcus aureus and nowadays is the most prevalent compound in staphylococcal food poisoning worldwide. SEA is highly heat-resistant, and usual cooking times and temperatures are unlikely to completely inactivate it. A procedure for extraction of this toxin based on protein precipitation with a mixture of dichloromethane and acidified water was used before SDS-PAGE separation of soluble proteins. Finally, bands of interest were excised from the gel and in-gel enzymatic digestion was done. SEA from pasteurized milk was detected with matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Nineteen peptides (range 800-2400 Da) were identified as products of trypsin cleavage of the SEA standard with a score of 204 and 73% coverage of the protein sequence, whereas thirteen peptides were revealed for SEA extracted from milk with a score of 148 and 58% sequence coverage obtained. This procedure has been applied successfully for identification of SEA in milk.     

Fundamental studies on the electrokinetic transfer of net cationic peptides across supported liquid membranes

By the application of an electrical potential difference (25 V), 37 different peptides were extracted from 500 μL aqueous sample (10 mM formic acid, positive electrode), through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) impregnated in the walls of a porous hollow fiber, and into 25 μL aqueous acceptor solution (100 mM formic acid, negative electrode) present inside the lumen of the fiber. Most of the peptides were obtained by tryptic digestion of cytochrome c and bovine serum albumin, which yielded complex samples for extraction. Three different SLMs were utilized to correlate the peptides extractability with the highly variable physical-chemical properties of the peptides. The first SLM (pure eugenol) provided an electromembrane extraction system for hydrophobic and intermediate peptides (hydrophilicity values below 0.2), where the extraction of peptides into the SLM was mainly based on solvent interactions. The second SLM (1-octanol/di-isobutylketone/di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate) extracted both hydrophobic and hydrophilic peptides (hydrophilicity values in the range from -2 to+1) successfully, and the transfer of peptides was principally based on ionic interactions with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate. The third SLM (1-octanol/15-crown-5 ether) was selective for hydrophobic peptides (negative hydrophilicity values), and complexation of the peptides with the crown ether was important for the migration of peptides into the acceptor solution.     

Normalization of relative peptide ratios derived from in-gel digests: applications to protein variant analysis at the peptide level

The ability to detect protein variants and post-translational modifications by mass spectrometry has become increasingly important. Unfortunately, the ability to detect variants in large intact proteins (>80,000 Da) is limited. Even in the analysis of smaller proteins, algorithms are required to determine the presence of a 2 Da mass shift in an intact 13 kDa protein because the isotopic distribution of the multiply charged ions of the variant overlaps the wild-type distribution. Fortunately, most modern instruments are capable of detecting variants in tryptic peptides derived from intact proteins. If a single common variant protein is known, the presence of a variant tryptic peptide can be easily demonstrated. A more difficult issue is the case where a multiplicity of peptides with multiple amino acid substitutions can be associated with pathology. In these cases a decrease in the relative amount of a variant peptide relative to other internal tryptic fragments would be diagnostic. However, the variability associated with the analysis of in-gel or solution digests of proteins, related to efficiencies in digestion, extraction and ionization, confounds variant analysis at the peptide level. A strategy was developed to normalize for this variability by utilizing multiple isotopically labeled internal standards for multiple peptides derived from the same protein. Erythrocyte spectrin from 36 normal and 25 abnormal osmotic fragility samples was analyzed as a test case. Three isotopically labeled target peptides comprising the alpha/beta-spectrin self-association sites were added to purified digested alpha-spectrin. The utilization of multiple internal standards demonstrates the capability to normalize for sample variability due to ionization efficiency, solvent effects, digestion and extraction efficiency.