Toward top-down determination of PEGylation site using MALDI in-source decay MS analysis

A novel matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-based mass spectrometric approach has been evaluated to rapidly analyze a custom designed PEGylated peptide that is 31 residues long and conjugated with 20 kDa linear polyethylene glycol (PEG) at the side chain of Lys. MALDI-TOF MS provided sufficiently high resolution to allow observation of each of the oligomers of the heterogeneous PEGylated peptide (m/Δm of ca. 500), while a typical ESI-MS spectrum of this molecule was extremely complex and unresolved. Reflector in-source decay (reISD) analysis using MALDI-TOF MS was attempted to identify the PEGylation site at intact molecular level without any sample treatment. An reISD spectrum of the free peptide was observed with abundant c-, y-, and [z + 2]-fragment ion series, whereas, in the fragmented PEGylated peptide, the fragment ion series were truncated at the residue where PEG was attached. Therefore, a direct comparison of these top-down reISD spectra suggested the location of the PEGylation site. Results from this study demonstrate a clear analytical utility of the ISD technique to characterize structural aspects of heterogeneous biomolecules.     

Influence of poly(ethylene glycol) molecular mass on separation and ordering in solutions of CiEj nonionic surfactants: depletion interactions and steric effects

We study ternary mixtures of nonionic surfactants C(i)E(j) (i = 12; j = 5, 6, 8) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in water. For sufficiently large molecular mass of PEG (M >M(sep) approximately 600), we observe a lowering of phase separation temperature with an increase in polymer concentration. The value of M(sep) is consistent with the analysis based on depletion interactions between micelles induced by polymer chains. We also demonstrate that there is another critical molecular mass of PEG (M = M* approximately 2000) necessary to induce ordering in the surfactant-rich phase. This critical molecular mass follows from two requirements: (a) PEG has to reduce the separation temperature below a temperature of hexagonal-isotropic phase transition in a binary surfactant-water mixture and (b) the PEG radius of gyration has to be larger than the size of the water channels in the hexagonal phase.     

Characterization of 40 kDa poly(ethylene glycol) polymers by proton transfer reaction QTOF mass spectrometry and 1H-NMR spectroscopy

Several electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) techniques have been described during the past years to enable the characterization work of large poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs) and PEGylated proteins. The proton transfer reaction ESI-MS method utilizes amines to charge reduce the electrospray envelope of PEGs, hence PEG molecules are aminated instead of protonated. This method simplifies the mass spectrum of large PEGs, and enables the interpretation of the charge state of the observable envelopes (R ≥ 3,000 (FWHM) measured at the (M + 6H)⁶⁺ ion from 40 K PEG compound 7,324.19). Hence, deconvolution of the MS data can be performed and relative molecular masses of the individual chain lengths of the PEGs can be calculated. However, as the poly-dispersity of PEGs may vary from batch to batch and from sample to sample, it was of interest to examine if the method could distinguish between these kinds of different material. Therefore, sample materials of each intermediate obtained at five synthetic steps during synthesis of a 40 kDa PEG molecule were collected. These four intermediates, starting material and the target molecule were examined by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS using a proton stripping base. The study revealed that the charge-stripping ESI-MS method is able to differentiate between even small changes in the structure of the polymeric molecules only when the analysis is assisted by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. A proper characterization of polymer molecules requires besides relative molecular mass, also poly-dispersity and end-group characterization. No end-group information is obtained based on MS data. Examination of the PEG polymers by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy provides the needed information. In addition, the ¹H-NMR spectra clearly distinguishes the examined polymers.     

New chemical evidence for the ability to generate radical molecular ions of polyenes from ESI and HR-MALDI mass spectrometry

We report here new chemical evidence for the generation of radical molecular ions of compounds with a conjugated pi-system (polyene) in ESI and HR-MALDI mass spectrometry. The oxidation potential of the neutral polyenes was calculated by cyclic-voltammetry and the results compared with those previously published for other complex conjugated compounds that have also been shown to form M*+ in ESI-MS. This study clearly demonstrates the correlation between the oxidation potential and the formation of the M*+ for the polyenes studied.     

Trapping of wide range mass-to-charge ions and dependence on matrix amount in internal source MALDI-FTMS

Internal ionization source MALDI-FTMS shows clear variation of number average molecular weight (M(n)) for an equimolar mixture of four PEG polymers (PEG 2000, PEG 4000, PEG 6000, PEG 8000) when the 2,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid (DHB) matrix to PEG ratio is varied or the laser power is changed. As the matrix to analyte ratio is increased, the analyte signal of higher molecular mass ions increases and the signal of lower mass ions decreases. Laser power dependence studies show a similar trend. Possible explanations for these observations are discussed.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric studies of phosphorus oxychloride directed synthesis of homo-oligopeptide ester libraries

With the assistance of phosphorus oxychloride, alpha-amino acids were assembled into homo-peptides, which were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and multistage electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). On quenching with water or various alcohols, the reaction mixtures yielded the corresponding peptides or peptide esters, respectively. This paper reports a simple method to synthesize the homo-oligo-peptide-ester conjugated library by phosphorus oxychloride activation.     

Evaluation of the quantitativeness of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry using an equimolar mixture of uniform poly(ethylene glycol) oligomers

Quantitativeness of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) was elucidated using an equimolar mixture of uniform poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) oligomers with no molecular weight distributions. Uniform PEG oligomers with degrees of polymerization n = 6-40 were separated from commercial PEG samples by preparative super-critical fluid chromatography. MALDI-TOF mass spectra of an equimolar mixture of the uniform PEG oligomers were recorded by adding a mixture of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid as a matrix reagent and four chlorinated salts, i.e. LiCl, NaCl, KCl and RbCl. Remarkable non-quantitative effects were observed in the MALDI-TOF mass spectra in both the lower and higher molecular mass regions. At higher molecular masses greater than about 10(3), PEG oligomers with larger molecular mass yielded lower spectral intensities irrespective of the species of adduct cations and higher laser powers induced larger decreases in mass spectral intensities with the increase in their molecular masses. On the other hand, in the lower molecular mass region, less than about 10(3), the observed non-quantitative effect greatly depends on the species of adduct cations, indicating that the stability of the PEG-cation complex affects the MALDI-TOF mass spectral intensities of uniform PEG oligomers.     

聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯/聚乙二醇醚插层嵌段共聚物的结晶性能

合成了不同用量、不同分子量的聚乙二醇醚(PEG)或聚丁二醇醚(PTMC)与聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)/蒙脱土(MMT)的嵌段共聚物。研究了MMT在共聚物中的分散状态及PEG或PTMG对PET/MMT插层聚合物结晶性能的影响。结果表明,MMT在共聚物中以纳米尺寸分散;加入PEG或PTMG增强了聚酯链段的柔顺性,使共聚物熔体降温过程的结晶温度提高,冷结晶温度降低,即插层嵌段共聚物的结晶速率提高;在合成的共聚物中,分子量为2000,用量为DMT的6%的PEG对插层共聚物结晶速率的促进作用最大     

Thermal gelation or gel melting: (ethylene glycol)113‐(l‐alanine)12 and (ethylene glycol)113‐(l‐lactic acid)12

When PEG (M.W.～5000 Daltons) is conjugated to poly(l ‐alanine), the polymer aqueous solutions (<10.0 wt.%) undergo sol‐to‐gel (thermal gelation), whereas it is conjugated to poly(l ‐lactic acid), the polymer aqueous solutions (>30.0 wt.%) undergo gel‐to‐sol (gel melting) as the temperature increases. In the search for molecular origins of such a quite different phase behavior, poly(ethylene glycol)‐poly(l ‐alanine) (PEG‐PA; EG₁₁₃‐A₁₂) and poly(ethylene glycol)‐poly(l ‐lactic acid) (PEG‐PLA; EG₁₁₃‐LA₁₂) are synthesized and their aqueous solution behavior is investigated. PEG‐PAs with an α‐helical core assemble into micelles with a broad size distribution, and the dehydration of PEG drives the aggregation of the micelles, leading to thermal gelation, whereas increased molecular motion of the PLA core overwhelms the partial dehydration of PEG, thus gel melting of the PEG‐PLA aqueous solutions occurs. The core‐rigidity of micelles must be one of the key factors in determining whether a polymer aqueous solution undergoes sol‐to‐gel or gel‐to‐sol transition, as the temperature increases. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, , 52, 2434–2441     

The metal loading ability of beta-amyloid N-terminus: a combined potentiometric and spectroscopic study of copper(II) complexes with beta-amyloid(1-16), its short or mutated peptide fragments, and its polyethylene glycol (PEG)-ylated analogue

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is becoming a rapidly growing health problem, as it is one of the main causes of dementia in the elderly. Interestingly, copper(II) (together with zinc and iron) ions are accumulated in amyloid deposits, suggesting that metal binding to Abeta could be involved in AD pathogenesis. In Abeta, the metal binding is believed to occur within the N-terminal region encompassing the amino acid residues 1-16. In this work, potentiometric, spectroscopic (UV-vis, circular dichroism, and electron paramagnetic resonance), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) approaches were used to investigate the copper(II) coordination features of a new polyethylene glycol (PEG)-conjugated Abeta peptide fragment encompassing the 1-16 amino acid residues of the N-terminal region (Abeta(1-16)PEG). The high water solubility of the resulting metal complexes allowed us to obtain a complete complex speciation at different metal-to-ligand ratios ranging from 1:1 to 4:1. Potentiometric and ESI-MS data indicate that Abeta(1-16)PEG is able to bind up to four copper(II) ions. Furthermore, in order to establish the coordination environment at each metal binding site, a series of shorter peptide fragments of Abeta, namely, Abeta(1-4), Abeta(1-6), AcAbeta(1-6), and AcAbeta(8-16)Y10A, were synthesized, each encompassing a potential copper(II) binding site. The complexation properties of these shorter peptides were also comparatively investigated by using the same experimental approach.     

聚丙交酯/聚乙二醇多嵌段共聚物的合成及其性能

聚丙交酯 (ＰＬＬＡ)由于具有良好的生物降解性和生物相容性 ,在医学领域已经得到了广泛的临床应用 ,近来又被制备成细胞支架大量应用于组织工程中[1,2 ] ,但由于其疏水性而造成细胞亲和性不好 .聚乙二醇 (ＰＥＧ)具有良好的亲水性 ,良好的生物相容性 ,但是ＰＥＧ是非降解性的 ,只有低分子量的ＰＥＧ可以被吞噬细胞所吞噬或透过肾滤膜而排出体外 ,因此 ,低分子量的ＰＥＧ常被用来与丙交酯 (Ｌ ＬＡ)共聚以改善ＰＬＬＡ支架的亲水性 .聚丙交酯 聚乙二醇共聚物 (ＰＬＥ)的三嵌段及两嵌段共聚物的合成及其性能的研究已被广泛报道[3～ 5] .研究…     

Identification and quantification of polyethylene glycol types in polyethylene glycol methyl ether and polyethylene glycol vinyl ether

Quantitative determination of polyethylene glycol (PEG) impurities in two monofunctional polyglycol types, PEG methyl ether (M-PEG) and PEG vinyl ether (V-PEG), has been carried out by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). In addition to optimizing the resolution between PEG and monofunctional PEG peaks, the major focus has been to determine the molecular weights of PEG impurities in M-PEG and V-PEG of diverse molecular weights. The latter is achieved by examining liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) mass spectra of both monofunctional PEG and PEG in several cases, and matching peak retention times with those of available PEG standards for all M-PEG and V-PEG sample types. This information is helpful in selecting the appropriate PEG standard to determine PEG content in each sample type. ELSD response factors for various PEG standards have also been compared. It has been found that PEG standards with molecular weights from 1000 Da to 8000 Da show responses that are within 10% of each other. However, a low molecular weight PEG such as PEG 400, provides approximately 30% less response compared to its higher molecular weight counterparts.     

Protein resistance of titanium oxide surfaces modified by biologically inspired mPEG-DOPA

In the present study, we have utilized X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectroscopic ellipsometry (ELM), and optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) to examine the surface adsorption and protein resistance behavior of bio-inspired polymers consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugated to peptide mimics of mussel adhesive proteins. Peptides containing up to three residues of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), a key component of mussel adhesive proteins, were conjugated to monomethoxy-terminated PEG polymers. These mPEG-DOPA polymers were found to be highly adhesive to TiO2 surfaces, with quantitative XPS analysis providing useful insight into the binding mechanism. Additionally, the antifouling properties of immobilized PEG were reflected in the excellent resistance of mPEG-DOPA-modified TiO2 surfaces to protein adsorption. Measurements of mPEG-DOPA and human serum adsorption were related in terms of ethylene glycol (EG) surface density and serum mass adsorbed and demonstrated a threshold of approximately 15-20 EG/nm2, above which substantially little protein adsorbs. With respect to surface density of adsorbed PEG and the associated nonfouling behavior of the adlayers, strong parallels exist between the nonfouling properties of the surface-bound mPEG-DOPA polymers and PEG polymers immobilized to surfaces using other approaches. Peptide anchors containing three DOPA residues resulted in PEG surface densities higher than those achieved using several existing PEG immobilization strategies, suggesting that peptide mimics of mussel adhesive proteins may be useful for achieving high densities of protein-resistant polymers on surfaces.     

Effect of the graft ratio on the properties of polythiophene‐g‐poly(ethylene glycol)

Graft copolymers formed by anchoring poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains to conjugated polythiophene have been prepared by copolymerizing two compounds: unsubstituted α‐terthiophene (Th₃) and a thiophene‐derived macromonomer having an α‐terthiophene conjugated sequence and one Th₃ bearing a PEG chain with molecular weight of 2000 as substitute at the 3‐position of the central heterocycle (Th₃‐PEG₂₀₀₀). The grafting ratio of the resulting copolymers (PTh₃^*‐g‐PEG), which were obtained using 75:25 and 50:50 Th₃‐PEG₂₀₀₀:Th₃ weight ratios, is significantly smaller than that of copolymers derived from polymerization of macromonomers consisting of a α‐pentathiophene sequence in which the central ring bears a PEG chain of M_w = 2000 (PTh₅‐g‐PEG). The electroactivity and electrochemical stability of PTh₃^*‐g‐PEG is not only higher than that of PTh₅‐g‐PEG but also higher than that of PTh₃, the latter presenting a very compact structure that makes difficult the access and escape of dopant ions into the polymeric matrix during the redox processes. Furthermore, the optical π‐π^* lowest transition energy of PTh₃^*‐g‐PEG is lower than that of both PTh₅‐g‐PEG and PTh₃. These properties, combined with suitable wettability and roughness, result in an excellent behavior as bioactive platform of PTh₃^*‐g‐PEG copolymers, which are more biocompatible, in terms of cellular adhesion and proliferation, and electro‐compatible than PTh₅‐g‐PEG. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 239–252     

Mechanistic study on the effect of PEG molecules in a trivalent chromium electrodeposition process

The mechanism of chromium metal deposition from a trivalent chromium bath containing formic acid and polyethylene glycol 1000 (PEG) was studied on an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and a technique for measuring pH on the cathode surface. Reactions of PEG molecules with trivalent chromium ions and their influence on the plating process of trivalent chromium were investigated. EQCM studies at low trivalent chromium ion concentrations show that chromium electrodeposition occurs via the formation of an adsorption layer on the electrode surface, which is called a cathodic film. Cathodic films hinder the penetration of ions from bulk solution to the cathode surface. In the inner portion of the cathodic film and at the cathode surface, intermediate complexes were formed during the deposition process. ESI-MS revealed that the PEG molecules were stable in a trivalent chromium bath containing potassium formate. During electroplating, the PEG molecules decreased the reductive current of hydrogen compared with solutions without PEG; an effect that was also observed due to the pH on the electrode surface. PEG plays a decisive role in the formation of intermediate compounds during electrodeposition.     

Comparison of Electrospray Ionization and Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Saponins from Alfalfa,Clover, and Mungbeans

The determination of seven saponins in crude plant extracts by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) is described. Distinct protonated and natriated (Na-adduct) molecular ions in ESI-MS spectra readily provide molecular weight information, which can be further verified using clusters of molecular ions. Saponin mixtures can be analyzed by ESIMS on varying the potential difference between the capillary and skimmer in the ESI source to decompose impurities. ESI-MS uses less amount of sample than that required by FAB-MS. ESI-MS does not produce structural information, however. The FAB-MS spectra consist mainly of protonated and deprotonated molecular ions with limited structural information. (-)-FAB-MS is more suitable for analyzing saponin samples than the (+)-FAB-MS.     

A shotgun tandem mass spectrometric analysis of phospholipids with normal-phase and/or reverse-phase liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is used in lipidomics studies. The present research established a top-down liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) shotgun analysis method for phospholipids (PLs) using a normal-phase column or a C30 reverse-phase column with the data-dependent MS/MS scanning mode. A normal-phase column can separate most of the major different classes of PLs. By using LC/ESI-MS/MS with a normal-phase column, approximately 50 molecular species were identified in a PL mixture from rat liver. When the reverse-phase column was used, the PLs could be separated depending on their hydrophobicity, essentially the length of their fatty acyl chains and the number of unsaturated bonds in them. The LC/ESI-MS/MS method using a C30 reverse-phase column was applied to phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) mixtures as test samples. Molecular species with the same molecular mass but with different pairs of fatty acyl chains were separately identified. As a result, about 60 PC and 50 PE species were identified. PLs from rat liver were subjected to LC/ESI-MS/MS using the C30 reverse-phase column and about 110 molecular species were identified. Off-line two-dimensional LC/ESI-MS/MS with the normal-phase and C30 reverse-phase columns allowed more accurate identification of molecular species by using one-dimensional C30 reverse-phase LC/ESI-MS/MS analysis of the collected fractions.     

Gelation of Covalently Cross-Linked PEG-Heparin Hydrogels

We study PEG-heparin hydrogels to identify compositions that lead to gel formation and measure the corresponding gelation kinetics. The material consists of a maleimide-functionalized high molecular weight heparin (HMWH) backbone covalently cross-linked with bis-thiol poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Using multiple particle tracking microrheology, we investigate a broad composition space, defined by the number of maleimide functional sites per HMWH (f = 3.9-11.8), the molecular weight of the PEG cross-linker (M(n) = 2000, 5000, and 10 000), and the concentrations of the heparin and PEG polymers. Gelation kinetics are characterized by time-cure superposition, yielding the gel time, t(c), and the critical relaxation exponent, n. Gelation times range from 5 < t(c) ≤ 45 min, with the fastest kinetics occurring for the highest HMWH maleimide functionalities. t(c) depends nonmonotonically on the PEG cross-linker molecular weight, suggesting that gelation is affected by the length of the cross-linker relative to intermolecular interactions between heparin molecules. The critical relaxation exponent decreases from n = 0.52 for PEG 2000 to n = 0.39 for PEG 10 000. Finally, 219 equilibrated samples taken over the entire composition space are identified as liquid or solid, defining the "gelation envelope". The boundaries of this empirical gelation envelope are in good agreement with Flory-Stockmayer theory. In all, microrheological measurements enable characterization over a large parameter space and provide crucial insight into the gelation of complex, multifunctional hydrogelators used in therapeutic applications.     

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization directed nano-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric analysis for protein identification

In those cases where the information obtained by peptide mass fingerprinting or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS/MS) is not sufficient for unambiguous protein identification, nano-electrospray ionization (nano-ESI) and/or electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) analysis must be performed. The sensitivity of nano-ESI/MS, however, is lower than that of MALDI-MS, especially at very low analyte concentrations and/or in the presence of contaminants, such as salt and detergents. Moreover, to perform ESI-MS/MS, the peptide masses of the precursor ions must be known. The approach described in this paper, MALDI-directed nano-ESI-MS/MS, makes use of information obtained from the more sensitive MALDI-MS experiments in order to direct subsequent nano-ESI-MS/MS experiments. Peptide molecular ions found in the MALDI-MS analysis are then selected, as their (+2) precursor ions, for nano-ESI-MS/MS sequencing, even though these ions cannot be detected in the ESI-MS spectra. This method, originally proposed by Tempst et al. (Anal. Chem. 2000, 72: 777-790), has been extended to provide better sensitivity and shorter analysis times; also, a comparison with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) has been performed. These experiments, performed using quadrupole time-of-flight instruments equipped with commercially available nano-ESI sources, have allowed the unambiguous identification of in-gel digested proteins at levels below their ESI-MS detection limits, even in the presence of salts and detergents.     

Direct functionalization of cell-adhesion promoters to hydrogel microparticles synthesized by stop-flow lithography

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel microparticles generated via stop-flow lithography can be utilized for efficient microparticle-based cell culture processes because of their high biocompatibility, the molecular diffusion capability in the gel structure, and the tunability of their shape and size. However, the typical functionalization process of PEG microparticles with cell-adhesion promoters has inevitable limitations, requiring additional linker molecules and the preconjugation of linkers to cell-adhesion promoters and microparticles. In this study, a simple and direct cell-adhesion promoter functionalization process of the PEG microparticles is presented by use of aza-Michael reaction between remnant unreacted acrylate groups in particles and amine groups in cell-adhesion promoters. On the basis of proposed process, particles are directly conjugated with poly-l -lysine (PLL), a typical cell-adhesion promoter that can electrostatically interact with cellular membranes, in a controllable manner. We demonstrate enhanced cell-adhesion capabilities of the particles along with the increased amount of conjugated PLL in the particles. Furthermore, to validate extended applicability, the particles are directly conjugated with Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS) peptides, in which RGD sequence is involved in the cell-adhesion behavior of extracellular matrix proteins, including fibronectin. The introduced GRGDS peptides increase the cell-adhesion capacity of the microparticles binding to integrin proteins in cellular membranes.