Characterization of phosphorylated amino acids by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Positive- and negative-ion fast-atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry and linked-field scan techniques at constant B/E are used to characterize phosphorylated serine, threonine, and tyrosine amino acids. Abundant molecular ions are formed for all three amino acids in both modes of ionization. The dominant fragmentation is cleavage of the phosphate ester bond with charge retention in positive-ion FAB by the amino acid backbone and in the negative-ion mode by the phosphate group. The unique feature of positive-ion FAB mass spectra of phosphoserine and -threonine is the loss, from the ion [M + H]+, of a molecule of phosphoric acid (98 Da), whereas the corresponding tyrosine expels a HPO4 (96 Da) moiety to yield a stable phenylalanine ion.     

Electron ionisation and fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry study of diaryl carbonates

Electron ionisation mass spectrometry studies were performed previously for p-diphenyl carbonate and some monosubstituted diphenyl carbonates. In this work, p-diphenyl carbonate and p-methoxyphenylphenyl carbonate are re-examined, and p-chlorophenyl phenyl carbonate and two disubstituted diphenyl carbonates, bis (p-chlorophenyl) carbonate and p-methoxyphenyl-p-fluorophenyl carbonate, are studied for the first time. The previously established fragmentation routes were observed for all compounds investigated. Some other different sequences were observed, and a fragmentation path, other than decarboxylation, of the molecular ion is proposed. In the fast-atom bombardment study it was observed that the M(+*)/[MH](+) ion abundance ratio increased from 0.44 for compound 1 to 2.95 for compound 5. [MH](+) is not a dominant ion in most of compounds studied, in spite of the presence of a carbonyl group, a strong proton acceptor. The presence of two oxygen atoms bonded to the carbonyl group appears to induce delocalisation of the electron pairs, thus deactivating the carbonyl site for protonation. In addition, m-nitrobenzyl alcohol (NBA) being a relatively aprotic/hydrophobic matrix reinforces the deactivation for protonation. Because the carbonate group and NBA are common features to the study, the contributions of the substituents were taken into account to explain the different behaviour of the five compounds with respect to protonation.     

Multisample probe for fast-atom bombardment / mass spectrometry

An inexpensive multisample fast-atom bombardment (FAB) probe assembly was designed for high-throughput analysis of samples on a VG ZAB-SE mass spectrometer. The system consists of a vacuum lock system and a FAB probe whose tip contains five or more sample wells. The probe enters the mass spectrometer source region perpendicular to the secondary ion beam axis, The probe is maintained at high voltage on contact with a spring clip attached to the screen plate of the source block. Sample throughput with the multisample probe is twice that of a coaxial probe, with about twice the sensitivity and no sample cross contamination.     

Probing high order structure of proteins by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry

During the past decade, numerous investigations have demonstrated that the rate at which amide hydrogens located at peptide linkages undergo isotopic exchange is a sensitive probe of the high order structure and dynamics of proteins. The present investigation demonstrates that microbore high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FABMS) can be used to accurately quantify deuterium located at peptide linkages in short segments of large proteins. This result is important because it demonstrates the feasibility of using mass spectrometry as a tool for studying the high order structure and dynamics of large proteins. Following a period of deuterium exchange-in, a protein was placed into slow-exchange conditions and fragmented into peptides with pepsin. The digest was analyzed by continuous-flow HPLC FABMS to determine the molecular weights of the peptides, from which the number of deuterons located at the peptide linkages could be deduced. The HPLC step was used both to fractionate the peptides according to their hydrophobicities and to remove through back-exchange all deuterium except that located at peptide amide linkages. This approach has been applied to α-crystallin, a lens protein composed of two gene products with monomer molecular weights of 20 kDa and an aggregate molecular weight approaching 1000 kDa. Results from this study show that some of the peptide amide hydrogens in αA-crystallin exchange very rapidly (k > 10 h^?1) while others exchange very slowly (k < 10^?3 h^?1). The ability not only to detect that a conformational change has occurred, but also to identify the specific regions within the protein where the change occurred, was demonstrated by measuring changes in the exchange rates within these regions as the deuterium exchange-in temperature was increased from 10 to 80 ° C.     

Structural determination of cyclitol derivatives by fast-atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry

Three cyclitol derivatives were isolated from the marine sponge Sarcotragus sp. by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and analyzed by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). Their structural elucidation was carried out with FAB tandem mass spectrometry (FAB-MS/MS). FAB-MS spectra produced a significant abundance of the sodium adducts [M+Na]+ and [M+2Na-H]+ from a mixture of m-NBA and NaI. In addition, trifluoroacetylation of the cyclitol derivatives was used for confirmation of the presence of the cyclitol ring. High abundance [M-5H+5CF3CO+Na]+ ions were observed in the FAB-MS spectra of the trifluoroacetyl-cyclitol derivatives. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the [M+Na]+ ions produced diverse product ions via a series of dissociative processes. Charge-remote fragmentation (CRF) patterns of [M+Na]+ ions were very useful for the identification of product ions which are characteristic for the cyclitol ring and long hydrocarbon chains substituted at the glycerol backbone. Moreover, the CID-MS/MS spectra of the [M+Na]+ ions yielded characteristic product ions at m/z 53, 83, 113, 155 and 171 for the cyclitol moiety, and at m/z 213, 229 and 245 for the glycerol backbone attached to the cyclitol ring.     

Analysis of saxitoxin in urine by continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry.

An improved method of saxitoxin analysis in urine using continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry was developed. Parameters studied were matrix composition, matrix flow, temperature of probe tip, probe-tip design and sample extraction. Optimal detection was obtained using the following matrix composition: 5% glycerol, 0.5% acetic acid, 0.025% sodium dodecylsulfate, 0.1% polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 and 0.5% PEG 300; probe-tip temperature: (approximately 55 degrees C); flow rate: 5 or 8 microL per min.; probe tip: Olson-Hogge design. The STX standard was detected at 200 pg with signal-to-noise ratio of 11. The percent recovery of saxitoxin from human urine after clean-up on a weak cation exchange column was 75%.     

Study of adduct ions of meso-phenyl-substituted tetrabenzoporphyrins by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Mass spectra of meso-phenyl-substituted tetrabenzoporphyrins were investigated by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. A cluster of adduct ions with mass-to-charge ratio values higher than the corresponding molecular ions of the porphyrins has been observed. The mass number differences among the series of cluster ions are constant depending on the para-phenyl substituents. Under certain conditions, dimers or trimers of molecular ions with low abundances have been detected. To trace the origin of the adduct ions, a series of experiments based on mass spectrometry have been carried out. The mass spectrum of tetrabenzoporphyrin showed no adduct ions with mass number differences of 90 even with the addition of phenylacetic acid. The mass spectrum of meso-tetraphenylte-trabenzoporphyrin ¹³C-labeled at the meso carbons showed adduct ions with mass number differences of 91. Product spectra of [2M + H]⁺ or [3M + H]⁺ of porphyrins exhibited adduct ions. All these results suggest that fragmentations of [2M + H]⁺ or [3M + H]⁺ may be one of the many possible routes to form the adduct ions, and the mass number differences among the series of these cluster ions should correspond to the benzyl group from the meso positions of meso-phenyl-substituted tetrabenzoporphyrins.     

Direct analysis of drugs by continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment and tandem mass spectrometry

The techniques of continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment (CF-FAB) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) are combined and applied to the analysis of small molecular mass drugs (mol.wt less than 500 Da). The approach involves the interfacing of a CF-FAB inlet with a triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer, enabling the acquisition of collision-activated decomposition mass spectra of the drugs after FAB ionization. The relationship between a stable sample surface on the CF-FAB probe tip and the quality of the mass spectrum is discussed, as are practical methods for obtaining and maintaining surface stability. CF-FAB MS/MS spectra for several drugs are presented, including penicillin G, phentolamine, cocaine and benzoylecgonine. Minimum detection limits range from 50-500 pg injected, depending on the compound. The reproducibility of the integrated areas of peaks from repetitive injections is approximately five per cent. Data are also presented for the direct CF-FAB MS/MS analysis of cocaine and benzoylecgonine in spiked urine samples.     

Injection of reagent ions into the selvedge region in fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry

A divided probe that incorporates a potassium aluminosilicate glass target and an analyte/glycerol matrix target, spatially separated, was used to inject potassium ions (K⁺) into the high-pressure “selvedge” region formed above the analyte/glycerol matrix target during fast-atom bombardment (FAB); [M+K]⁺ adduct ions that represent the types of gas-phase neutral molecules present in the selvedge region are observed. Computer modeling assisted in designing the divided target and an additional ion optical element for the FAB ion source to optimize interactions between K⁺ ions and the desorbed neutral molecules. The capability of injecting K⁺ ions into the FAB experiment has utility in both mechanistic studies and analyses. Experimental results here are consistent with a model for the desorption/ionization processes in FAB in which some types of neutral analyte molecules are desorbed intact and are subsequently protonated by glycerol chemical ionization. Unstable protonated molecules undergo unimolecular decomposition to yield observed fragment ions. The use of K⁺ cationization of analytes for molecular weight confirmation is demonstrated, as well as its utility in FAB experiments in which mixtures are encountered.     

Analysis of bovine beta-casein tryptic digest by continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry.

Liquid chromatography/fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry was used to partially confirm the amino-acid sequence of the protein, beta-casein. The study demonstrates that the technique is capable of the rapid and accurate identification of peptide fragments from tryptic digests and that chromatographic integrity is maintained during the analysis. The power of the technique derives from the ability to determine both the retention time and the molecular weight of the eluting components. Each of the components yields a prominent pseudo-molecular ion (MH+), the majority exhibiting sufficient fragmentation to confirm their structure unambiguously.     

Characterization of beam-induced reactions occurring in liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry/fast-atom bombardment by tandem mass spectrometry

Department of General and Physical Chemistry, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium A specific beam-induced secondary reaction involving the condensation of hydroxylic matrices with some organic groups (aldehydes, ketones, etc.) accompanied by the loss of a water molecule was investigated by liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry/fast-atom bombardment (LSIMS/FAB). A mechanistic scheme and a structure of the induced product are proposed. The features of this secondary reaction were studied and the influence of the types of solutes, acidic additives, and matrices analyzed. Rather than a drawback, LSIMS/FAB mass spectrometry can take advantage of this matrix effect to infer analytical information through tandem mass spectrometry experiments. Specific neutral loss scans can be conducted to highlight beam-induced reactive molecules, even when the detection of these species is prevented in normal scan spectra by other surface-active components.     

Fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry of brassinosteroid analogs

Positive ion fast-atom bombardment mass spectra of brassinosteroid analogs have been systematically obtained for the first time. The spectra of six brassinosteroid analogs and their corresponding 22S,23S isomers included the protonated molecule in medium to high relative intensity. The fragmentation pattern is dominated by side chain cleavage. There is a marked preferential loss of acetic acid from the [M + H]⁺ ion of 5α-hydrogen-3β-acetylated derivatives compared to the 5α-hydroxy-3β-acetylated analogs.     

Characterization of impurities in a synthetic renin substrate peptide by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry and hybrid tandem mass spectrometry

Fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry of a synthetic renin substrate decapeptide (Pro-His-Pro-Phe-His-Leu-Val-Ile-His-D-Lys) indicated the presence of several side-products, including a component 12 Da higher in mass. Low-energy collisionally activated decomposition analyses were performed using a hybrid tandem instrument and demonstrated that the heavier side product had two components, in which the structural modification was either at the N- or the C-terminus. Additional analyses of the N-acetyl derivative indicated that for each component the structural modification blocked a site of N-acetylation. It is suggested that the formation of these side products is attributable to the generation of formaldehyde, during removal of the histidine protecting group (benzyloxymethyl), which reacts with the N-terminus of the peptide to give an imidazolidinone structure or with the D-lysine epsilon-amine group to yield an imine. While the precise genesis of the side-products remains speculative, it is clear that the combined strategy of derivatization and tandem mass spectrometry has allowed structural conclusions concerning individual components of an isobaric mixture.     

Rapid analysis of a peptide by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Gel electrophoresis has been a powerful technique for the separation of peptides and proteins for many years. After electrophoresis separation on a polyacrylamide gel, the peptide bradykinin was localized using Coomassie Blue as a staining dye. Excess dye was removed by washing the gel with water. For mass spectrometric analysis, bands containing the peptide were crushed, extracted with acetic acid and the eluent applied to the fast-atom bombardment probe. Under these conditions the protonated molecule of bradykinin was clearly observed. Also apparent were sequence ions at about the same intensity observed from authentic bradykinin.     

Structural characterization of steroidal saponins by electrospray ionization and fast-atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry

The structural characterization of four steroidal saponin compounds involving two and three sugar groups, namely spirostanol saponins and furostanol saponins, were investigated by positive ion fast-atom bombardment (FAB), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) techniques. Important structural information was obtained from collision-induced dissociation (CID) and FAB-MS spectra with different liquid matrices. It was found that a characteristic fragmentation involving the loss of 144 Da arising from the cleavage of the E-ring was observed when there was no sugar chain at the C-26 position. When a glucoside group was substituted at the C-26 position, this C-26 sugar moiety was preferentially eliminated. All of these compounds produced a major product ion with a stable skeleton structure at m/z 255. The results of this paper can assist structural analysis of mixtures of steroidal saponins.     

Quantitative analysis of the molecular species of monosialogangliosides by continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry.

Negative-ion continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry was evaluated as a means for the quantitative analysis of N-acetylneuraminyl-galactosyl-glucosyl-ceramide (NeuAc-GM3) and N-acetylgalactosaminyl-(N-acetylneuraminyl)galactosyl-glucosyl-ceramide (NeuAc-GM2). This study was carried out on a 7070-EQ mass spectrometer (VG Analytical, Manchester, UK) using a home-made continuous-flow fast-atom bombardment probe with a mixture of methanol + water + triethanolamine (70:27:3, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Utilizing 100 ng of acetyl-lysogalactosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl-(N-acetylneuraminyl)g alactosyl-glucosyl-ceramide (acetyl-lysoGM1) as an internal standard, standard curves for NeuAc-GM3 d18:1-16:0, NeuAc-GM3 d18:1-18:0 and Neuac-GM2 d18:1-18:0 were found to be linear over the range 5-250 ng, with associated correlation coefficients of 0.990-0.997. The lower limit of detection was found to be 2.5 ng. Satisfactory results could also be obtained when the calibration curves were derived from the deprotonated molecular ions of a mixture of the NeuAc-GM2 and NeuAc-GM3 classes. Using this approach, quantitative determination of NeuAc-GM3 d18:1-16:0 from rat adrenal gland was performed using N-acetylneuraminic acid assay as a test control. We found 278 +/- 36 ng of this species in 1 mg of tissue (three replicate experiments). The procedure represents a sensitive method for the quantitation of monosialogangliosides and its capability to give molecular species information.     

Analysis of long-chain fatty acyl coenzyme a thioesters by negative ion fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry

Long-chain acyl Coenzyme A (CoA) is essentially composed of three major chemical groups, fatty acyl-, phosphopantetheino-, and 3′, 5′,-adenosine diphospho-moieties. The negative ion fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry spectra of long-chain acyl CoA thioesters were characterized by the formation of abundant [M ? H]^? and two distinct classes of fragment ions, one class which retained the acyl group and another class which is related to CoA that contains the phosphopantethene and adenine. The ions which retained the acyl group in the spectrum of palmitoyl CoA appeared at m/z 675, 657, 595, and 577 and were found to decompose by loss of alkylketene observed at m/z 357 and 339. Those ions which retained the adenine group were observed at m/z 426 and 408. In contrast to these ions observed following fast-atom bombardment ionization, tandem mass spectrometry of the [M ? H]^?, from palmitoyl CoA (m/z 1004), yielded the adenine-containing ions as major products and the acyl-containing ions were of low abundance or not detected. These results suggested that the formation of many characteristic ions observed in direct FAB analysis occurred during the desorption process. The unique relationship between ions which involved the transition from acyl-containing ions to only CoA-containing ions by the loss of alkylketene allowed the development of tandem mass spectrometry protocols for the analysis of acyl CoA mixtures. Precursor scans of either m/z 357 or 339 yielded the identification of each species in a complex mixture. Identification of specific species was obtained with a neutral loss scan of the mass for a specific alkylketene.     

Analysis of arachidonic-acid-containing molecular species in glycerophospholipid classes from rat kidney by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry

The qualitative analysis of the molecular species of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine from a rat kidney, by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry after separation and purification by liquid chromatography is described. The present results indicate that a high content of arachidonic-acid-containing molecular species within major glycerophospholipid classes is present in this biological sample.