Combined infrared multiphoton dissociation and electron-capture dissociation using co-linear and overlapping beams in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

A novel set-up for Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR) is reported for simultaneous infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) and electron-capture dissociation (ECD). An unmodified electron gun ensures complete, on-axis overlap between the electron and the photon beams. The instrumentation, design and implementation of this novel approach are described. In this configuration the IR beam is directed into the ICR cell using a pneumatically actuated mirror inserted into the ion-optical path. Concept validation was made using different combinations of IRMPD and ECD irradiation events on two standard peptides. The ability to perform efficient IRMPD, ECD and especially simultaneous IRMPD and ECD using lower irradiation times is demonstrated. The increase in primary sequence coverage, with the combined IRMPD and ECD set-up, also increases the confidence in peptide and protein assignments.     

Focus on Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Editorial

Focus on Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry     

Liquid chromatography/Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LC-FTICR MS): an early overview

Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry has developed into one of the most powerful analytical techniques. This unique technique enables acquisition of high-resolution mass spectra with high accuracy, which in turn enables determination of the elemental composition of the analyzed compounds. Coupling with liquid chromatography affords a separation technique with a high-resolution detector which can be used to investigate very complex matrices. In this review some important instrumental developments are described and applications are presented; these show the advantages and disadvantages of this combination.Abbreviations CAD Collision-activated dissociation - CZE Capillary zone electrophoresis - ECD Electron-capture dissociation - FT Fourier-transform - MS Mass spectrometry - ICR Ion cyclotron resonance - IRMPD Infrared multi-photon dissociation - LC Liquid chromatography - LSIMS Liquid secondary-ion mass spectrometry - SORI Sustained off-resonance irradiation This contribution is dedicated to Professor Dr M.T. Reetz on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Peptide and protein characterization by high-rate electron capture dissociation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The analytical utility of the electron capture dissociation (ECD) technique, developed by McLafferty and co-workers, has substantially improved peptide and protein characterization using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS). The limitations of the first ECD implementations on commercial instruments were eliminated by the employment of low-energy electron-injection systems based on indirectly heated dispenser cathodes. In particular, the ECD rate and reliability were greatly increased, enabling the combination of ECD/FTICR-MS with on-line liquid separation techniques. Further technique development allowed the combination of two rapid fragmentation techniques, high-rate ECD and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD), in a single experimental configuration. Simultaneous and consecutive irradiations of trapped ions with electrons and photons extended the possibilities for ion activation/dissociation and led to improved peptide and protein characterization. The application of high-rate ECD/FTICR-MS has demonstrated its power and unique capabilities in top-down sequencing of peptides and proteins, including characterization of post-translational modifications, improved sequencing of peptides with multiple disulfide bridges and secondary fragmentation (w-ion formation). Analysis of peptide mixtures has been accomplished using high-rate ECD in bottom-up mass spectrometry based on mixture separation by liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. This paper summarizes the current impact of high-rate ECD/FTICR-MS for top-down and bottom-up mass spectrometry of peptides and proteins.     

Towards analytically useful two-dimensional Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry (MS) achieves high resolution and mass accuracy, allowing the identification of the raw chemical formulae of ions in complex samples. Using ion isolation and fragmentation (MS/MS), we can obtain more structural information, but MS/MS is time- and sample-consuming because each ion must be isolated before fragmentation. In 1987, Pfändler et al. proposed an experiment for 2D FT-ICR MS in order to fragment ions without isolating them and to visualize the fragmentations of complex samples in a single 2D mass spectrum, like 2D NMR spectroscopy. Because of limitations of electronics and computers, few studies have been conducted with this technique. The improvement of modern computers and the use of digital electronics for FT-ICR hardware now make it possible to acquire 2D mass spectra over a broad mass range. The original experiments used in-cell collision-induced dissociation, which caused a loss of resolution. Gas-free fragmentation modes such as infrared multiphoton dissociation and electron capture dissociation allow one to measure high-resolution 2D mass spectra. Consequently, there is renewed interest to develop 2D FT-ICR MS into an efficient analytical method. Improvements introduced in 2D NMR spectroscopy can also be transposed to 2D FT-ICR MS. We describe the history of 2D FT-ICR MS, introduce recent improvements, and present analytical applications to map the fragmentation of peptides. Finally, we provide a glossary which defines a few keywords for the 2D FT-ICR MS field.     

Theory of peak coalescence in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Peak coalescence, i.e. the merging of two close peaks in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrum at a high number of ions, plays an important role in various FTICR experiments. In order to describe the coalescence phenomenon we would like to propose a new theory of motion for ion clouds with close mass‐to‐charge ratios, driven by a uniform magnetic field and Coulomb interactions between the clouds. We describe the motion of the ion clouds in terms of their averaged drift motion in crossed magnetic and electric fields. The ion clouds are considered to be of constant size and their motion is studied in two dimensions. The theory deals with the first‐order approximation of the equations of motion in relation to dm/m, where dm is the mass difference and m is the mass of a single ion. The analysis was done for an arbitrary inter‐cloud interaction potential, which makes it possible to analyze finite‐size ion clouds of any shape. The final analytical expression for the condition of the onset of coalescence is found for the case of uniformly charged spheres. An algorithm for finding this condition for an arbitrary interaction potential is proposed. The critical number of ions for the peak coalescence to take place is shown to depend quadratically on the magnetic field strength and to be proportional to the cyclotron radius and inversely proportional to the ion masses. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electron capture dissociation implementation progress in fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Successful electron capture dissociation (ECD) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) applications to peptide and protein structural analysis have been enabled by constant progress in implementation of improved electron injection techniques. The rate of ECD product ion formation has been increased to match the liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis timescales, and ECD has been combined with infrared multiphoton dissociation in a single experimental configuration to provide simultaneous irradiation, fast switching between the two techniques, and good spatial overlap between ion, photon, and electron beams. Here we begin by describing advantages and disadvantages of the various existing electron injection techniques for ECD in FT-ICR MS. We next compare multiple-pass and single-pass ECD to provide better understanding of ECD efficiency at low and high negative cathode potentials. We introduce compressed hollow electron beam injection to optimize the overlap of ion, photon, and electron beams in the ICR ion trap. Finally, to overcome significant outgassing during operation of a powerful thermal cathode, we introduce nonthermal electron emitter-based electron injection. We describe the first results obtained with cold cathode ECD, and demonstrate a general way to obtain low-energy electrons in FT-ICR MS by use of multiple-pass ECD.     

Characterization of imazamox degradation by-products by using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The photodecomposition of imazamox, a herbicide of the imidazolinone family, was investigated in pure water. The main photoproducts from the photolysis were followed over time by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and structures were proposed from exact mass determinations obtained by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The method comprised exact mass determination with better than 0.2 ppm mass accuracy and a corresponding structural visualization taking care of respective isotopes with an adapted van Krevelen diagram that enabled a systematic approach to the characterisation of the elementary composition of each photoproduct. By taking advantage of the high resolving power of FT-ICR MS to make precise formula assignments, the derived 2D van Krevelen diagram (O/C; H/C; m/z) enabled one to structurally differentiate the formed photoproducts and to propose a degradation pathway for imazamox. Figure Overview of applied method to analyse the photolysis process of imazamox herbicide     

Combined infrared multiphoton dissociation and electron capture dissociation with a hollow electron beam in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

An electron injection system based on an indirectly heated ring-shaped dispenser cathode has been developed and installed in a 7 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer. This new hardware design allows high-rate electron capture dissociation (ECD) to be carried out by a hollow electron beam coaxial with the ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) trap. Infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) can also be performed with an on-axis IR-laser beam passing through a hole at the centre of the dispenser cathode. Electron and photon irradiation times of the order of 100 ms are required for efficient ECD and IRMPD, respectively. As ECD and IRMPD generate fragments of different types (mostly c, z and b, y, respectively), complementary structural information that improves the characterization of peptides and proteins by FTICR mass spectrometry can be obtained. The developed technique enables the consecutive or simultaneous use of the ECD and IRMPD methods within a single FTICR experimental sequence and on the same ensemble of trapped ions in multistage tandem (MS/MS/MS or MS(n)) mass spectrometry. Flexible changing between ECD and IRMPD should present advantages for the analysis of protein digests separated by liquid chromatography prior to FTICRMS. Furthermore, ion activation by either electron or laser irradiation prior to, as well as after, dissociation by IRMPD or ECD increases the efficiency of ion fragmentation, including the w-type fragment ion formation, and improves sequencing of peptides with multiple disulfide bridges. The developed instrumental configuration is essential for combined ECD and IRMPD on FTICR mass spectrometers with limited access into the ICR trap.     

Simplified application of quadrupolar excitation in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

A new method for application of quadrupolar excitation to the trapped ion cell of a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer is presented. Quadrupolar excitation is conventionally applied to the two pairs of opposed electrodes that normally perform the excitation and detection functions in the FTICR experiment. Symmetry arguments and numerically calculated isopotential contours within the trapped ion cell lead to the conclusion that quadrupolar excitation can be applied to a single pair of opposed side electrodes. Examples of effective quadrupolar axialization via this method include a sevenfold signal-to-noise enhancement derived from 50 remeasurements of a single population of trapped bovine insulin ions and the selective isolation of a single charge state of horse heart myoglobin after an initial measurement that revealed the presence of 14 charge states.     

Site-specific amide hydrogen exchange in melittin probed by electron capture dissociation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Electron capture dissociation (ECD) has been proposed to be a non-ergodic process, i.e. to provide backbone dissociation of gas-phase peptides faster than randomization of the imparted energy. One potential consequence could be that ECD can fragment deuterated peptides without causing hydrogen scrambling and thereby provide amino acid residue-specific amide hydrogen exchange rates. Such a feature would improve the resolution of approaches involving solution-phase amide hydrogen exchange combined with mass spectrometry for protein structural characterization. Here, we explore this hypothesis using melittin, a haemolytic polypeptide from bee venom, as our model system. Exchange rates in methanol calculated from consecutive c-type ion pairs show some correlation with previous NMR data: the amide hydrogens of leucine 13 and alanine 15, located at the unstructured kink surrounding proline 14 in the melittin structure adopted in methanol, appear as fast exchangers and the amide hydrogens of leucine 16 and lysine 23, buried within the helical regions of melittin, appear as slow exchangers. However, calculations based on c-type ions for other amide hydrogens do not correlate well with NMR data, and evidence for deuterium scrambling in ECD was obtained from z*-type ions.     

Automatic internal calibration in liquid chromatography/Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry of protein digests

Accurately measured peptide masses can be used for large-scale protein identification from bacterial whole-cell digests as an alternative to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) provided mass measurement errors of a few parts-per-million (ppm) are obtained. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry (MS) routinely achieves such mass accuracy either with internal calibration or by regulating the charge in the analyzer cell. We have developed a novel and automated method for internal calibration of liquid chromatography (LC)/FTICR data from whole-cell digests using peptides in the sample identified by concurrent MS/MS together with ambient polydimethylcyclosiloxanes as internal calibrants in the mass spectra. The method reduced mass measurement error from 4.3 +/- 3.7 ppm to 0.3 +/- 2.3 ppm in an E. coli LC/FTICR dataset of 1000 MS and MS/MS spectra and is applicable to all analyses of complex protein digests by FTICRMS.     

High-frequency fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The experimental Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT/ICR) frequency range has been extended to 107 MHz. We report the observation of FT/ICR signals from electron-ionized species of mass-to-charge ratio 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 μ per elementary charge. We show that moderately high charge states of atomic ions (e.g., N³⁺) are easily generated and detected. Several applications for high-frequency FT/ICR mass spectrometry are proposed and discussed.     

Enhanced electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry of long-chain polysaccharides

A novel strategy was developed to extend the application of electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry (MS) to the analysis of long-chain polysaccharides. High molecular weight polydisperse maltodextrins (poly-alpha(1-4) glucose) and dextrans (poly-alpha(1-6) glucose) were chosen as model compounds in the present study. Increased ionization efficiency of these mixtures in the positive ion mode was achieved upon modification of their reducing end with nitrogen-containing groups. The derivatization method is based on the formation of a new C--N bond between 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and the reducing end of the polysaccharide, which exists in solution as an equilibrium between the hemiacetal and the open-ring aldehyde form. To achieve the chemical modification of the reducing end, two synthetic pathways were developed: (i) coupling of HMD by reductive amination and (ii) oxidation of the hemiacetal to lactone, followed by ring opening by HMD to yield the maltodextrin lactonamide of 1,6-hexanediamine (HMMD). Amino-functionalized polysaccharides were analyzed by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FTICR-MS) in the positive ion mode by direct flow injection. The hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and maltodextrin lactonamide of 1,6-hexanediamine (HMMD) moieties provide increased proton affinities which dramatically improve the detection of the long-chain polysaccharides by FTICR-MS. The present approach allowed for identification of single components in mixtures with prominent heterogeneity in the degree of polymerization (DP), without the need for chromatographic separation prior to MS. The high mass accuracy was essential for the unambiguous characterization of the species observed in the analyzed mixtures. Furthermore, molecular components containing up to 42 glucose residues were detected, representing the largest polysaccharide chains analyzed so far by ESI FTICR-MS.     

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry of principal components in oilsands naphthenic acids

Naphthenic acids present formidable challenges for the petroleum industry and are a growing concern in the aquatic environment. For example, these acids are responsible for corrosion of refinery equipment, leading to the incurrence of additional costs to the consumer, and are toxic to aquatic wildlife, making disposal and remediation of contaminated waters and sediments a significant problem. The detection and characterization of naphthenic acids is therefore of considerable importance. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry is presented as a technique with inherently ultra-high mass accuracy and resolution, affording unequivocal assignments. The suitability of the technique for environmental applications is demonstrated to characterize two different commercial mixtures of naphthenic acids and one oilsands tailings pond sample.     

Electron capture dissociation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry in the electron energy range 0-50 eV

Electron capture dissociation (ECD) of polypeptide cations was obtained with pencil and hollow electron beams for both sidekick and gas-assisted dynamic ion trapping (GADT) using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) with an electrostatic ion transfer line. Increasing the number of trapped ions by multiple ICR trap loads using GADT improved the ECD sensitivity in comparison with sidekick ion trapping and ECD efficiency in comparison with single ion trap load by GADT. Furthermore, enhanced sensitivity made it possible to observe ECD in a wide range of electron energies (0-50 eV). The degree, rate and fragmentation characteristics of ECD FTICR-MS were investigated as functions of electron energy, electron irradiation time, electron flux and ion trapping parameters for this broad energy range. The results obtained show that the rate of ECD is higher for more energetic (>1 eV) electrons. Long electron irradiation time with energetic electrons reduces average fragment ion mass and decreases efficiency of formation of c- and z-type ions. The obtained dependencies suggest that the average fragment ion mass and the ECD efficiency are functions of the total fluence of the electron beam (electron energy multiplied by irradiation time). The measured electron energy distributions in low-energy ECD and hot ECD regimes are about 1 eV at full width half maximum in employed experimental configurations.     

Improved low-energy electron injection systems for high rate electron capture dissociation in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

New low-energy electron injection systems based on indirectly heated dispenser cathodes facilitate electron capture dissociation (ECD) in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry. In this joint report, details are presented of the design and performance of these systems on two commercial FTICR instruments, 9.4 T Bruker BioAPEX in Uppsala and 4.7 T IonSpec Ultima in Odense. New results include obtaining meaningful one-scan MS/MS data for isolated precursor ions with millisecond irradiation times. The ECD rate improvement is not only due to the larger total electron current, but the larger emitting area as well.     

Simplified electron ejection in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry by suspended trapping

Suspended trapping is used to eject electrons in negative-ion Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometric experiments. In contrast to electron ejection by resonant excitation of the trapping motion, suspended trapping involves allowing the electrons to escape along the z-axis (perpendicular to the trap plates) while the trapping potential is briefly removed. The duration of this event is sufficiently short (～10 μs) so that ion losses are negligible; the overall effect is that of a ‘high-pass mass filter’. Suspended trapping is simpler to implement and more generally applicable to various cell geometries than resonant electron ejection. The effectiveness of the suspended trapping technique is not compromised by the anharmonicity of the potential well in ‘elongated’ ICR traps, but depends simply on the time it takes the electrons to escape the cell. Finally, a small, positive offset potential (～+0.25 V) applied to the trap plates during the suspended trapping event increases the efficiency of the ejection.     

Transformative effects of higher magnetic field in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The relationship of magnetic field strength and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry performance was tested using three instruments with the same design but different fields of 4.7, 7, and 9.4 tesla. We found that the theoretically predicted “transformative” effects of magnetic field are indeed observed experimentally. The most striking effects were that mass accuracy demonstrated ～second to third order improvement with the magnetic field, depending upon the charge state of the analyte, and that peak splitting, which prohibited automated data analysis at 4.7 T, was not observed at 9.4 T.