Tandem mass spectrometry of synthetic polymers

The detailed characterization of macromolecules plays an important role for synthetic chemists to define and specify the structure and properties of the successfully synthesized polymers. The search for new characterization techniques for polymers is essential for the continuation of the development of improved synthesis methods. The application of tandem mass spectrometry for the detailed characterization of synthetic polymers using the soft ionization techniques matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI‐MS) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS), which became the basic tools in proteomics, has greatly been increased in recent years and is summarized in this perspective. Examples of a variety of homopolymers, such as poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(ethylene glycol), as well as copolymers, e.g. copolyesters, are given. The advanced mass spectrometric techniques described in this review will presumably become one of the basic tools in polymer chemistry in the near future. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of LID versus CID activation modes in tandem mass spectrometry of peptides

We report our contribution to the systematic investigation of peptide fragmentations performed on high‐performance Tof equipment, operating in MS and MS/MS modes, such as ESI‐QqTof and MALDI‐Tof/Tof instruments that are commonly available today in proteomic laboratories. Whereas the former analyzer's configuration provides low‐energy collision‐induced dissociations (CID), the latter allows tunable activation methods of the selected parent ion to induce either metastable laser‐induced dissociations (LID) or high‐energy CID (‘gas on spectra LID’). Fragmentation of the monoprotonated ion of 53 peptides (FW 807–2853 g/mol) was undertaken upon low‐energy CID on an ESI‐QTof mass spectrometer (Waters) as well as high‐energy CID and LID conditions on a MALDI Ultraflex mass spectrometer (Bruker). Systematic comparison of MS/MS spectra provided useful information on the performance of each piece of equipment for efficient peptide sequencing and also insights into the observed fragmentation behaviors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of the glycation sites of Bacillus anthracis neoglycoconjugate vaccine by MALDI-TOF/TOF-CID-MS/MS and LC-ESI-QqTOF-tandem mass spectrometry

We present herein an efficient mass spectrometric method for the localization of the glycation sites of a model neoglycoconjugate vaccine formed by a construct of the tetrasaccharide side chain of the Bacillus anthracis exosporium and the protein carrier bovine serum albumin. The glycoconjugate was digested with both trypsin and GluC V8 endoproteinases, and the digests were then analyzed by MALDI-TOF/TOF-CID-MS/MS and nano-LC-ESI-QqTOF-CID-MS/MS. The sequences of the unknown peptides analyzed by MALDI-TOF/TOF-CID-MS/MS, following digestion with the GluC V8 endoproteinase, allowed us to recognize three glycopeptides whose glycation occupancies were, respectively, on Lys 235, Lys 420, and Lys 498. Similarly, the same analysis was performed on the tryptic digests, which permitted us to recognize two glycation sites on Lys 100 and Lys 374. In addition, we have also used LC-ESI-QqTOF-CID-MS/MS analysis for the identification of the tryptic digests. However, this analysis identified a higher number of glycopeptides than would be expected from a glycoconjugate composed of a carbohydrate-protein ratio of 5.4:1, which would have resulted in glycation occupancies of 18 specific sites. This discrepancy was due to the large number of glycoforms formed during the synthetic carbohydrate-spacer-carrier protein conjugation. Likewise, the LC-ESI-QqTOF-MS/MS analysis of the GluC V8 digest also identified 17 different glycation sites on the synthetic glycoconjugate.     

Analysis of salivary peptides using HPLC-electrospray mass spectrometry

Salivary peptides are involved in a wide range of functions constituting the first line of defence of oral cavity and precursors of dental pellicle formation. The presence of mucins in saliva makes difficult the analysis of the proteic content. This is due mainly to aggregation phenomenon between mucins and other high molecular weight glycoproteins and salivary proteins. Considering the importance of salivary peptides in biological functions, we have evaluated the influence of four different extraction methodologies on the separation and identification of these proteins by HPLC-MS. Based on their molecular weight, we identified a total of 22 peptides when extraction was performed using a solution of guanidine (6 m), compared with 14 peptides identified when saliva is acidified with TFA, which is an often used procedure. Our results also show the presence of mucin bind peptides, which include statherin, PRP1, PRP3, Histatin 1 and Histatin 5.     

Tandem mass spectrometry of low solubility polyamides

The structural characterization of polyamides (PA) was achieved by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) with a laser induced dissociation (LID) strategy. Because of interferences for precursor ions selection, two chemical modifications of the polymer end groups were proposed as derivatization strategies. The first approach, based on the addition of a trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) molecule, yields principally to complementary b_n and y_n product ions. This fragmentation types, analogous to those obtained with peptides or other PA, give only poor characterization of polymer end-groups [1]. A second approach, based on the addition of a basic diethylamine (DEA), permits to fix the charge and favorably direct the fragmentation. In this case, b_n ions were not observed. The full characterization of ω end group structure was obtained, in addition to the expected y_n and consecutive fragment ions.     

基于液相色谱-串联质谱法的肉类特征肽段鉴别及掺假测定

建立了液相色谱-串联质谱技术鉴别肉类特征肽段及定量检测羊肉中常见外源肉掺假的方法。样品经蛋白质提取、胰蛋白酶水解和固相萃取小柱净化后,利用超高效液相色谱-四极杆/静电场轨道阱高分辨质谱（UPLC-Q/Exactive-HRMS）和Proteinpilot软件,实现蛋白质和多肽的鉴定;再通过基本局部比对搜索工具（BLAST）与Uniprot数据库对比分析,筛选出羊肉、鸭肉、猪肉和鸡肉的20个物种特征性多肽标志物;最后利用高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱（UPLC-QqQ-MS）系统对羊肉、鸭肉、猪肉和鸡肉的特征性多肽进行了验证和多反应监测（MRM）定量研究。将鸭肉、猪肉和鸡肉分别按照质量分数为1%、5%、10%、20%、50%的比例掺加到羊肉中,得到鸭肉最低掺假检出限为0.25%、猪肉最低掺假检出限为0.17%、鸡肉最低掺假检出限为0.10%。     

Characterization of the dehydration products due to thermal decomposition of peptides by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry

Thermal decomposition (TD) of proteins is being investigated as a rapid digestion step for bottom‐up proteomics. Mass spectrometry (MS) analyses of the TD products of simple peptides and intact proteins have revealed several nonvolatile products at masses lower than the precursor biomolecule (M). In addition to products stemming from site‐specific cleavages, many signals are also observed at a corresponding M‐18, most likely because of dehydration (M‐H₂O) during the heating process. Understanding the structural nature of the water loss product is important in establishing the utility of their tandem mass spectra (collision‐induced dissociation) in determining the precursor ion amino acid sequence in a bottom‐up proteomic workflow. Dehydration of a peptide can take place from a variety of sources including side chain groups, C‐terminus, and/or intramolecular cyclization (C to N‐terminus cyclization). In this work, liquid chromatography‐tandem MS (LC‐MS/MS) and a series of standard peptides (angiotensin II, DRVYIHPF and its cyclic analog) are implemented to decipher the structure of the TD dehydration product. In addition, a derivatization strategy incorporating N‐terminus acetylation was developed that allowed the direct comparison of tandem mass spectra of standard cyclic peptides with those resulting from the TD process, thus eliminating any ambiguity from the direct comparison of their mass spectra (due to gas‐phase cyclization of b‐ions, which can result in sequence scrambling of the precursor ion). Results from these investigations indicated that peptide dehydrated TD products were mostly linear in nature, and water loss was favored from the C‐terminus carboxyl group or, when present, the aspartic acid side chain. Given the predictable nature of the formation of TD dehydration products, their MS/MS analysis can be of utility in providing complementary and confirmatory sequence information of the precursor peptide. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

样品制备方法对高效液相色谱-串联质谱分析人乳内源肽的影响

人乳内源肽是乳蛋白在乳腺中被降解形成的具有生理功能的肽,是人乳的重要组成部分,研究人乳内源肽对于婴儿健康具有重要的意义.高效液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS/MS)联用技术的应用,促使人乳内源肽的研究取得了突破性的进展.人乳中内源肽含量低、干扰组分多,样品制备方法是影响分析结果的关键步骤.为了研究样品制备方法对分析结果的...     

Phosphopeptide fragmentation and analysis by mass spectrometry

Reversible phosphorylation is a key event in many biological processes and is therefore a much studied phenomenon. The mass spectrometric (MS) analysis of phosphorylation is challenged by the substoichiometric levels of phosphorylation and the lability of the phosphate group in collision‐induced dissociation (CID). Here, we review the fragmentation behaviour of phosphorylated peptides in MS and discuss several MS approaches that have been developed to improve and facilitate the analysis of phosphorylated peptides. CID of phosphopeptides typically results in spectra dominated by a neutral loss of the phosphate group. Several proposed mechanisms for this neutral loss and several factors affecting the extent at which this occurs are discussed. Approaches are described to interpret such neutral loss‐dominated spectra to identify the phosphopeptide and localize the phosphorylation site. Methods using additional activation, such as MS³ and multistage activation (MSA), have been designed to generate more sequence‐informative fragments from the ion produced by the neutral loss. The characteristics and benefits of these methods are reviewed together with approaches using phosphopeptide derivatization or specific MS scan modes. Additionally, electron‐driven dissociation methods by electron capture dissociation (ECD) or electron transfer dissociation (ETD) and their application in phosphopeptide analysis are evaluated. Finally, these techniques are put into perspective for their use in large‐scale phosphoproteomics studies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

磺化修饰结合离子交换色谱和生物质谱富集鉴定含组氨酸肽段

通过在肽段的N端引入磺酸基,从而使含组氨酸的肽段与其他肽段在pH<3.0的条件下产生电荷差异,建立了一种基于强阳离子交换色谱(SCX)结合生物质谱富集鉴定含组氨酸肽段的方法,并以含有组氨酸的标准蛋白质为模型,进行了方法学考察。结果表明,经N端磺酸化后,含组氨酸的肽段能有效地被阳离子交换色谱富集,且在肽的N端引入磺酸基促进了肽的裂解,使之产生简单而信息丰富的二级质谱图,从而得到完美的质谱鉴定结果。这说明磺化修饰结合强阳离子交换色谱用于含组氨酸肽段的富集鉴定是可行的,且具有在蛋白质组研究中应用的潜力。     

Tandem mass spectrometry for the structural determination of backbone-modified peptides

A variety of backbone-modified peptides were desorbed by fast atom bombardment and collisionally activated. These peptide modifications involve the replacement of a normal [CONH] peptide linkage with such groups as thiomethylene ether (CH₂S), thioamide (CSNH), methyleneamine (CH₂NH), and thiomethylene sulfoxide (CH₂SO) moieties. Modified linear peptides decompose to give fragmentations characteristic of the modifications as well as typical peptide bond fragments. The presence of a replacement group in cyclic peptides can induce new fragmentations. The presence of other functional groups, such as an exocyclic N-terminal residue, however, can dominate the observed fragmentations. Upon collisional activation, unmodified linear peptides fragment to give N-terminal ions as the most abundant daughter ions. In comparison, ψ[CH₂NH] and ψ[CH₂S ] modified linear peptides decompose to give prominent C-terminal sequence ions. The ψ[CH₂SO] modified linear peptides, however, fragment into both N- and C-terminal ions of high relative abundance. Depending on the modification, daughter ions or internal fragment ions are observed that are characteristic of the amide bond replacement. Useful structural information can therefore be obtained.     

利用质谱－质谱法进行稠环芳烃化合物的结构解析

应用（ＥＩ）ＭＳ／Ｍｓ法研究了吡啶并苯并蒽酮以及苯并苯并蒽酮类异构体的裂解方式及其与结构之间的相关性，探讨了不同异构体中由Ｍ￣（ｉ＋）产生的［Ｍ－Ｈ］＋、［Ｍ－ＨＣＮ］＋、［Ｍ－ＣＯＨ］＋、［Ｍ－ＣＯ］（ｉ＋）、［Ｍ－（ＣＯ＋２Ｈ）］（ｉ＋）以及［Ｍ－（ＣＯ＋ＨＣＮ）］（ｉ＋）（ｉ＝１，２）等１价及２价离子在ＭＳ／ＭＳ－ＣＩＤ谱上的强度差异和裂解方式，发现是否含有氮原子以及氮原子和苯环位置的差异，是支配这类化合物在ＣＩＤ谱中裂解行为的主要因素。研究结果表明，２价离子的ＣＩＤ谱能更有效地反映这类杂环芳烃异构体之间的结构差异和裂解特性。     

Structural Investigation of Betulinic Acid Plasma Metabolites by Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Betulinic acid (BA) has been extensively studied in recent years mainly for its antiproliferative and antitumor effect in various types of cancers. Limited data are available regarding the pharmacokinetic profile of BA, particularly its metabolic transformation in vivo. In this study, we present the screening and structural investigations by ESI Orbitrap MS in the negative ion mode and CID MS/MS of phase I and phase II metabolites detected in mouse plasma after the intraperitoneal administration of a nanoemulsion containing BA in SKH 1 female mice. Obtained results indicate that the main phase I metabolic reactions that BA undergoes are monohydroxylation, dihydroxylation, oxidation and hydrogenation, while phase II reactions involved sulfation, glucuronidation and methylation. The fragmentation pathway for BA and its plasma metabolites were elucidated by sequencing of the precursor ions by CID MS MS experiments.     

Identification and characterization of supercritical fluid extracts of Rhizoma Chuanxiong by high performance liquid chromatography ion trap mass spectrometry

The main constituents, senkyunolide A, Z-ligustilide, neocnidilide, 3-butylphthalide, and ligustilide dimers, in supercritical CO₂ fluid extracts of Rhizoma Chuanxiong, a popular Chinese traditional medicine, have been identified and characterized by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Separations were carried out on an Agilent (ECLIPSE XDB) C18 analytical column by gradient elution with 0.25% acetic acid and methanol (containing 0.25% acetic acid). An Agilent 1100 series LC/MSD XCT system was operated under positive ESI and auto MS/MS modes for mass spectrometric analysis. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragmentations of these phthalides have been investigated and elucidated. Phthalides have primarily undergone two ESI CID pathways: side-chain cleavage with losses of alkenes and ring-opening with eliminations of H₂O followed by losses of CO. Direct neutral loss of CO has not been observed. Sodium adduct ions have demonstrated completely different CID pathways. __________ Translated from Journal Instrumental Analysis (in press, in Chinese)     

Determination of bond dissociation energies using mass spectrometry

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT‐ICR/MS) offers the opportunity for gas phase cluster formation reactions at very low pressures and at temperatures that are different from room temperature. Reactions take place with single positive‐charge metal ions that are normally +2, +3, +4, etc., charged in solution. The ions formed are detected by measuring the current induced by their cyclotron rotation, but they cannot be physically separated and collected. Collision‐induced dissociation (CID) is widely used for ion‐structure determination via the fragmentation of the excited ions. CID study aims to determine the relationship between the V_pp [peak‐to‐peak voltage of the radiofrequency (rf) pulse] and the mass‐to‐charge (m/z) ratio, which will be used for the calculation of the center‐of‐mass translational kinetic energy (Ek_cm) of the excited ion under investigation. CID studies are restricted to stable ions with relatively high abundance. Nevertheless, with the evolution of computational chemistry, such problems can be overcome whereby CID calculations will be used to provide the substantial parameters for computer software, such as the Gaussian 03 program, for the structure determination of the less stable Ni_xS anions. The latter constitutes the core for our current research. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Molecular representation of coal-derived asphaltene based on high resolution mass spectrometry

The asphaltene separated by solubility in small molecular alkanes and toluene is the most structurally diverse and complex components in heavy oil, such as vacuum residue and coal tar. The coal-derived asphaltene is always regard as a succession of maltene fraction from small molecules to large molecules, and also a continuum of island- and archipelago-type structures, which is difficult to be identified accurately through current characterization methods. This limits the further study of molecular dynamics and reaction dynamics simulation of asphaltenes. In this work, a representation model of molecular composition and structure for coal-derived asphaltene is developed mainly based on Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) coupled with collision induced dissociation (CID) and traditional methods of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹³C NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Island- and archipelago-type structures are considered qualitatively in the representation of asphaltene. The asphaltene molecules are systematic assembled using stochastic algorithms and optimized by simulated annealing algorithm according to the group contribution method. The bulk properties for simulating asphaltenes are in good agreement with the experimental results giving acceptable predictions for the composition and structure of the asphaltenes. Moreover, the representative average structure asphaltene molecules are obtained using the developed molecular similarity function, which could be applied in the further study of molecular aggregation simulation and reaction kinetics simulation.     

反相液相色谱-串联质谱法鉴定油菜蜂花粉中的蛋白质及活性肽

基于鸟枪法蛋白质组学分析方法,使用反相液相色谱-串联质谱（RPLC-MS/MS）系统分析油菜蜂花粉蛋白质的胰蛋白酶酶解产物,结合数据库检索,共鉴定到353条肽段。鉴定到的肽段所归属的蛋白质中有239个蛋白质可检索到其分子生物学功能,主要功能为结合活性、酶活性、运输活性、抑制活性等。根据血管紧张素转化酶（ACE）抑制肽活性与多肽构效之间的关系,从鉴定到的肽段中筛选并适当修饰后得到5条可能具有ACE抑制活性的肽段,化学合成肽段后进行了活性验证。结果表明5条肽段均具有良好的活性,其中肽段AELDIVLALF和LAVNLIPFP表现出较高的ACE抑制活性,半数抑制浓度（IC₅₀）分别为（10.65±0.50）μmol/L和（23.66±1.08）μmol/L。该方法速度快,成本低,大大缩短了鉴定周期,达到了高通量筛选生物活性肽的目的。     

质谱在肽和蛋白质序列分析中的应用

了解肽和蛋白质的序列对理解其功能具有重要意义，测定其序列也是当前生命 科学研究中的重要内容之一，质谱作为高灵敏度的测定分子结构的仪器，其高灵敏 度、广泛的适用性及快速性等特性使它具有很大潜力发展成为辅助传统测序方法的 新方法，并得到了广泛的关注。从离子活化方法（包括碰撞诱导解离CID、源后裂 解PSD、源内裂解ISD等）、衍生化作用以及氨基酸残基消除方式（高能活化产生亚 稳离子、化学降解、酶降解）等多个角度介绍了利用质谱分析多肽和蛋白质序列的 方法，并对其发展前景作出展望。     

毛细管反相液相色谱-串联质谱用于肽的鉴定和相对定量分析

建立了一种基于毛细管反相液相色谱-串联质谱联用技术和质谱峰强度数据处理的肽段鉴定和相对定量分析方法。该方法无需对样品中的肽进行化学标记,在对样品进行反相色谱分离和串联质谱分析后,将二级质谱扫描数据进行蛋白质数据库搜索,获得所鉴定肽段的序列、保留时间、质荷比、带电荷数等定性信息;再以此为定位依据,在全扫描质谱数据中提取该肽段对应的离子峰并以该离子峰的峰强度作为定量信息,从而实现对不同样品中的共有肽段进行差异比较分析。以标准蛋白酶解混合肽段为实验对象,以肽段相对强度的相对标准偏差为指标,考察了该方法用于肽段相对定量分析的重现性、检测动态范围以及浓度标准曲线等,为将该方法用于生物样品中内源性肽的差异分析奠定了基础。     

Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of gabapentin in serum

A new highly sensitive analytical method for determining gabapentin [1-(aminomethyl) cyclohexaneacetic acid; Neurontin] in serum using gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was developed. GC-MS/MS was applied to determine the levels of gabapentin in serum samples of mice at 1 and 6 h after oral or intraperitoneal treatment (300 mg/kg). At 1 h, the concentrations of the drug were 4.02 +/- 0.42 and 4.32 +/- 0.28 microg/mL in mice treated orally and intraperitoneally, respectively. At 6 h, drug levels decreased by about 66% in both groups. The method, coupling two stages of mass analysis, could be very useful in identifying the drug in complex mixtures such as blood and urine. Moreover, it is easy and rapid to perform, and sensitive enough to allow the presence of the drug to be determined at very low detection limits. It is a very reliable method for both clinical and experimental monitoring of gabapentin.