Soft Supercharging of Biomolecular Ions in Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

The charge states of biomolecular ions in ESI-MS can be significantly increased by the addition of low-vapor supercharging (SC) reagents into the spraying solution. Despite the considerable interest from the community, the mechanistic aspects of SC are not well understood and are hotly debated. Arguments that denaturation accounts for the increased charging observed in proteins sprayed from aqueous solutions containing SC reagent have been published widely, but often with incomplete or ambiguous supporting data. In this work, we explored ESI MS charging and SC behavior of several biopolymers including proteins and DNA oligonucleotides. Analytes were ionized from 100 mM ammonium acetate (NH₄Ac) aqueous buffer in both positive (ESI+) and negative (ESI–) ion modes. SC was induced either with m-NBA or by the elevated temperature of ESI capillary. For all the analytes studied we, found striking differences in the ESI MS response to these two modes of activation. The data suggest that activation with m-NBA results in more extensive analyte charging with lower degree of denaturation. When working solution with m-NBA was analyzed at elevated temperatures, the SC effect from m-NBA was neutralized. Instead, the net SC effect was similar to the SC effect achieved by thermal activation only. Overall, our observations indicate that SC reagents enhance ESI charging of biomolecules via distinctly different mechanism compared with the traditional approaches based on analyte denaturation. Instead, the data support the hypothesis that the SC phenomenon involves a direct interaction between a biopolymer and SC reagent occurring in evaporating ESI droplets.

Electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometric Study on Sodium Azide Cluster Ions

Introduction Mass spectrometry (MS) has been an important technique for studying size-dependent cluster properties with unparalleled sensitivity, specificity, and versatil-ity.1,2 Especially Fourier transform ion cyclotron reso-nance (FT-ICR) MS offers the benefits of ultra-high mass resolving power, superior mass accuracy, and the ability of affording useful structure information with tandem MS. The introduction of electrospray ionization (ESI) as a gentle mode of ion generation for MS…     

L-抗坏血酸电喷雾串联质谱行为研究

采用电喷雾串联质谱(ESI-MSn)技术, 结合氢/氘交换方法, 研究了L-抗坏血酸在正、负离子模式下的质谱行为. 实验表明, 电喷雾质谱能够方便地观测到实验条件下L-抗坏血酸的特征裂解方式和相应碎片; 实验发现毛细管温度对L-抗坏血酸的裂解方式产生显著的影响, 从不同毛细管温度下的相应质谱信号强度变化能观察到L-抗坏血酸及其降解产物的热稳定性差异. 因此, 根据串联质谱所观测到的L-抗坏血酸特征碎片离子, 提出了L-抗坏血酸的结构变化及其降解反应的可能机理和基本规律, 为现代质谱技术快速测定复杂基体样品中的痕量抗坏血酸奠定了实验基础.     

有机盐类化合物醋酸钠的电喷雾质谱研究

利用电喷雾质谱技术研究了有机盐类化合物醋酸钠(NaAc)的特征质谱行为,实验结果表明,在全扫描电喷雾正负离子谱中都出现了质量数相差82的质谱峰簇．这与醋酸钠的相对分子质量相一致,正负质谱峰簇分别对应于簇合物离子Na^ (NaAc)n和Ac^-(NaAc)m:簇合物离子的多级串联质谱进一步证明了簇合物离子的存在。该结果为类似结构的盐类化合物的表征提供了一种新的质谱证据。     

Quantifying Protein-Fatty Acid Interactions Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

The application of the direct electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) assay to quantify interactions between bovine β-lactoglobulin (Lg) and a series of fatty acids (FA), CH₃(CH₂)_xCOOH, where x = 6 (caprylic acid, CpA), 8 (capric acid, CA), 10 (lauric acid, LA), 12 (myristic acid, MA), 14 (palmitic acid, PA) and 16 (stearic acid, SA), is described. Control ESI-MS binding measurements performed on the Lg-PA interaction revealed that both the protonated and deprotonated gas phase ions of the (Lg + PA) complex are prone to dissociate in the ion source, which leads to artificially small association constants (K _a ). The addition of imidazole, a stabilizing solution additive, at high concentration (10 mM) increased the relative abundance of (Lg + PA) complex measured by ESI-MS in both positive and negative ion modes. The K _a value measured in negative ion mode and using sampling conditions that minimize in-source dissociation is in good agreement with a value determined using a competitive fluorescence assay. The K _a values measured by ESI-MS for the Lg interactions with MA and SA are also consistent with values expected based on the fluorescence measurements. However, the K _a values measured using optimal sampling conditions in positive ion mode are significantly lower than those measured in negative ion mode for all of the FAs investigated. It is concluded that the protonated gaseous ions of the (Lg + FA) complexes are kinetically less stable than the deprotonated ions. In-source dissociation was significant for the complexes of Lg with the shorter FAs (CpA, CA, and LA) in both modes and, in the case of CpA, no binding could be detected by ESI-MS. The affinities of Lg for CpA, CA, and LA determined using the reference ligand ESI-MS assay, a method for quantifying labile protein–ligand complexes that are prone to in-source dissociation, were found to be in good agreement with reported values.     

电喷雾质谱的非共价键蛋白质复合物研究

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

气相条件下金属离子/肽复合物电喷雾串联质谱研究

研究蛋白质与金属离子之间的相互作用的本质一直是生物学家感兴趣的课题。但蛋白结构的复杂性使得二者之间相互作用的研究难度很大,常选用氨基酸或小肽作为模型化合物进行研究^[1-4]。目前该方法的研究甩缺乏系统性。     

蛋白质非共价化合物的电喷雾质谱研究

介绍了近几年来利用电喷雾离子化质谱技术研究蛋白质的基本构象及蛋白质非共价化合物的基本化学信息的进展。许多研究表明,电喷雾质谱在研究蛋白质的复杂结构和功能方面有十分广阔的前景。文中列举了若干实例说明了电喷雾离子化质谱技术在分析蛋白质非共价化合物的应用和一般方法。     

In-Syringe Electrokinetic Protein Removal from Biological Samples prior to Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Here, an electrokinetic extraction (EkE) syringe is presented allowing for on-line electrokinetic removal of serum proteins before ESI-MS. The proposed concept is demonstrated by the determination of pharmaceuticals from human serum within minutes, with sample preparation limited to a 5× dilution of the sample in the background electrolyte (BGE) and application of voltage, both of which can be performed in-syringe. Signal enhancements of 3.6–32 fold relative to direct infusion of diluted serum and up to 10.8 fold enhancement, were obtained for basic and acidic pharmaceuticals, respectively. Linear correlations for the basic drugs by EkE-ESI-MS/MS were achieved, covering the necessary clinical range with LOQs of 5.3, 7.8, 6.1, and 17.8 ng mL⁻¹ for clomipramine, chlorphenamine, pindolol, and atenolol, respectively. For the acidic drugs, the EkE-ESI-MS LOQs were 3.1 μg mL⁻¹ and 2.9 μg mL⁻¹ for naproxen and paracetamol, respectively. The EkE-ESI-MS and EkE-ESI-MS/MS methods showed good accuracy (%found of 81 % to 120 %), precision (≤20 %), and linearity (r>0.997) for all the studied drugs in spiked serum samples.     

淫羊藿苷的电喷雾质谱研究

研究了淫羊藿苷的电喷雾质谱行为.结果表明,该化合物在正、负离子模式下均可得到较好的质谱信息,在负离子模式下,采用H/D交换方法,证明淫羊藿苷易形成加合2个水分子的准分子离子.利用电喷雾碰撞诱导解离方法,分别阐明了该化合物在正、负离子模式下的电喷雾质谱碎裂规律.     

Multi-stage Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for the Study of Metal Ions Complexes in Solution

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has made possible many new and important advances in analytical chemistry by combining mass analysis with the ability to generate gas-phase ions from labile polar and ionic species in solution.     

Effects of Metal Ion Adduction on the Gas-Phase Conformations of Protein Ions

Changes in protein ion conformation as a result of nonspecific adduction of metal ions to the protein during electrospray ionization (ESI) from aqueous solutions were investigated using traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS). For all proteins examined, protein cations (and in most cases anions) with nonspecific metal ion adducts are more compact than the fully protonated (or deprotonated) ions with the same charge state. Compaction of protein cations upon nonspecific metal ion binding is most significant for intermediate charge state ions, and there is a greater reduction in collisional cross section with increasing number of metal ion adducts and increasing ion valency, consistent with an electrostatic interaction between the ions and the protein. Protein cations with the greatest number of adducted metal ions are no more compact than the lowest protonated ions formed from aqueous solutions. These results show that smaller collisional cross sections for metal-attached protein ions are not a good indicator of a specific metal–protein interaction in solution because nonspecific metal ion adduction also results in smaller gaseous protein cation cross sections. In contrast, the collisional cross section of α-lactalbumin, which specifically binds one Ca²⁺, is larger for the holo-form compared with the apo-form, in agreement with solution-phase measurements. Because compaction of protein cations occurs when metal ion adduction is nonspecific, elongation of a protein cation may be a more reliable indicator that a specific metal ion–protein interaction occurs in solution.      

皂苷的电喷雾负离子多级串联质谱研究

皂苷作为一类结构比较复杂的糖苷类化合物 ,广泛地存在于植物和海洋生物中 .现代医学研究表明 ,皂苷类化合物具有十分广泛的药理作用 .目前 ,在我国许多以皂苷类化合物为主要有效成分的药物都具有很好的疗效 .因此研究人员对于皂苷类化合物的结构研究有着愈来愈浓厚的兴趣 .然而皂苷类化合物具有极性大、难挥发、分子量大等特点 ,给分离纯化及结构鉴定带来很大的困难 .对于这类化合物结构的研究远远落后于生物碱和黄酮 .目前采用质谱技术测定皂苷类化合物的结构已有文献报道 ,但多局限于正离子质谱[1～ 6] ,对于负离子质谱仅限于 MS/ MS质…     

电喷雾离子源正离子模式下环烯醚萜苷的质谱裂解行为

利用高分辨率四极杆-飞行时间串联质谱(Q-TOF MS/MS)对环烯醚萜苷同系组分7,8-环戊烯型和环戊烷型环烯醚萜苷在电喷雾正离子(ESI⁺)模式下的质谱裂解行为进行了研究. 在ESI⁺模式下, 环烯醚萜苷主要的质谱裂解途径是脱去母环上的功能基团, 如丢失H₂O, CO₂, CH₃OH, CH₃COOH和糖单元部分等, 由于它们均为葡萄糖苷, 所以共有碎片离子[Glc+Na]⁺(m/z 185.0). 环烯醚萜苷母核环上半缩醛结构的异构化造成二氢吡喃环的断裂, 但未发现与苷元部分在负离子(ESI^-)模式下相同的其它断裂. 环烯醚萜苷在ESI⁺模式下的断裂途径特征性不如其在ESI^-模式下的明显, 且灵敏度比后者低.     

Characterization of Polylactides with Different Stereoregularity Using Electrospray Ionization Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

We investigated the effect of stereoregularity on the gas-phase conformations of linear and cyclic polylactides (PLA) using electrospray ionization ion mobility mass spectrometry (ESI-IM-MS) combined with molecular dynamics simulations. IM-MS analysis of PLA ions shows intriguing difference between the collision cross section (Ω_D) value of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) and poly-LD-lactide (PLDLA) ions with respect to their chain architecture and stereoregularity. In the singly sodiated linear PLA (l-PLA?Na⁺) case, both l-PLLA and l-PLDLA up to 11mer have very similar Ω_D values, but the Ω_D values of l-PLLA are greater than that of l-PLDLA ions for larger ions. In the case of cyclic PLA (c-PLA), c-PLLA?Na⁺ is more compact than c-PLDLA?Na⁺ for short PLA ions. However, c-PLLA exhibits larger Ω_D value than c-PLDLA for PLA ions longer than 13mer. The origin of difference in the Ω_D values was investigated using theoretical investigation of PLAs in the gas phase. The gas-phase conformation of PLA ions is influenced by Na⁺-oxygen coordination and the weak intramolecular hydrogen bond interaction, which are more effectively formed in more flexible chains. Therefore, the less flexible PLLA has a larger Ω_D value than PLDLA. However, for short c-PLA, concomitant maximization of both Na⁺-oxygen coordination and hydrogen bond interaction is difficult due to the constricted chain freedom, which makes the Ω_D value of PLAs in this range show a different trend compared with other PLA ions. Our study facilitates the understanding of correlation between stereoregularity of PLAs and their structure, providing potential utility of IM-MS to characterize stereoisomers of polymers. Figure

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芍药苷的电喷雾串联质谱研究

采用电喷雾串联质谱(ESI-MSn)技术, 结合H/D交换方法, 在正、负离子检测模式下对白芍药材中主要成分芍药苷的质谱裂解规律进行了系统研究. 实验结果表明, 该化合物在正、负离子模式下均得到较好的质谱信息, 且在正离子模式下, 电喷雾质谱分析的灵敏度更高. 同时获得了其质谱裂解规律, 为白芍中其它化合物的分析鉴定提供了有效的质谱方法.     

Sequence pattern Correlation of Amino Acid in Collision—induced Dissociation Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

A novel approach of seuqence pattern correlation has been applied to predict an expected amino acid sequence from CID ESI-MS spectra.The proposed approach deduces sequence patterns with no help form known protein database such that it is useful to identify an unknown petide or new protein.The algorithm applies a cross-correlation to match an experimental CID spectrum with predicted sequence pattern generated form fragmentation information.The fragmentation knowledge of both y-series and other non y-series are utilized to generate the predicted sequence patterns.In contrast to the normal de novo approach,the proposed approach is insensitive to mass tolerance and non-sussceptive to spectral integrality with no need for selection of a starting point.     

基质辅助激光解析电离质谱和电喷雾质谱共同快速确证达托霉素结构

运用基质辅助激光解析电离-飞行时间串联质谱(MALDI-TOF/TOF MS)和电喷雾-四级杆-飞行时间质谱(ESI-Q-TOF MS)快速确证环脂肽达托霉素的结构。首先,ESI检测达托霉素相对分子量为1619.7107,与理论值偏差0.0007。选择其双电荷峰m/z 809.848作为母离子进行ESI串联质谱(MS/MS)测定,成功匹配了达托霉素环外氨基酸序列C9H19CO-Trp-Asn-Asp。其次,优化Li OH裂解达托霉素的实验条件,以MALDITOF/TOF MS监测开环效果,获得95%以上的开环样本后,分别运用MALDI和ESI进行MS/MS测定,达托霉素开环产物的b+和y+全部被匹配,达托霉素全部氨基酸序列得到确证。最后,对开环产物的ESI-MS/MS条件进一步优化,获得了丰富的低端碎片离子,解析了脂肪酸链结构,并绘制了脂肪酸链的裂解图。本方法快速、简便、准确,是确证环脂肽类化合物结构的可靠方法。     

Sensitivity of Positive Ion Mode Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry in the Analysis of Thiol Metabolites

High signal intensities of glutathione (GSH), [GSH+H]⁺ (m/z 308), cysteine (CySH), [CySH+H]⁺ (m/z 122), and homocysteine (hCySH), [hCySH+H]⁺ (m/z 136), are observed in ESI MS with on‐line electrochemistry (EC). Dimers formed by H‐bonding, which are not electrochemical products, are detected as [2GSH+H]⁺ (m/z 615), [2CySH+H]⁺ (m/z 243) and [2hCySH+H]⁺ (m/z 271) together with disulfide dimers GSSG, CySSCy and hCySSCyh, [GSSG+H]⁺ (m/z 613), [CySSCy+H]⁺ (m/z 241) and [hCySSCyh+H]⁺ (m/z 269). When dopamine is present a thiol/dopamine quinone (DAQ) adduct is observed. Formation of this adduct is proposed to occur by an electrochemical mechanism during ESI. Catalysis of thiol oxidation and analysis of thiol mixtures is addressed.     

脱水淫羊藿素的电喷雾多级串联质谱研究

研究了脱水淫羊藿素的电喷雾质谱行为，结果表明：该化合物在正、负离子模式下，均可得到较好的电喷雾质谱信息，且在负离子模式下电喷雾质谱分析的灵敏度较高；运用电喷雾碰撞诱导解离技术，发现正离子和负离子模式下的裂解方式虽有相似之处但并不完全相同；分别阐明了该化合物在正、负离子模式下的电喷雾质谱碎裂规律。