Protein identification platform utilizing micro dispensing technology interfaced to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

An integrated protein microcharacterization/identification platform has been developed. The system has been designed to allow a high flexibility in order to tackle challenging analytical problems. The platform comprises a cooled microautosampler, an integrated system for microcolumn HPLC, and a capillary reversed-phase column that is interfaced to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) system via a low internal volume flow-through microdispenser. The chromatographic separation is continuously transferred onto a MALDI target plate as discrete spots as the dispenser ejects bursts of droplets of the column effluent in a precise array pattern. A refrigerated microfraction collector was coupled to the outlet of the flow-through microdispenser enabling enrichment and re-analysis of interesting fractions. The use of target plates pre-coated with matrix simplified and increased the robustness of the system. By including a separation step prior to the MALDI-TOF-MS analysis and hereby minimizing suppression effects allowed us to obtain higher sequence coverage of proteins compared to conventional MALDI sample preparation methodology. Additionally, synthetic peptides corresponding to autophosphorylated forms of the tryptic fragment 485-496 (ALGADDSYYTAR) of tyrosine kinase ZAP-70 were identified at sensitivities reaching 150 amol.     

A general method for coulometric titration of alkylphenols with bromine

A general method for coulometric titration of alkylphenols with anodically generated bromine is described. The reaction is carried out in a water-acetic acid medium and the reactivity is governed by varying the water content and the concentration of bromide ion and by the addition of pyridine. In that way all types of alkylphenols can be titrated quantitatively. For phenols containing more than one free ortho and para position, the titration can also be carried out either to the monobromination stage or to the full bromination stage. The mean relative error is ± 1·2% for monobromination and ±1·5% for full bromination. A method for rapid determination of the number of free ortho and para positions in alkylphenols by using two coulometric titrations is also described.     

Chiral separation on achiral stationary phases with different functionalities using β-cyclodextrin in the mobile phase and application to bioanalysis and coupled columns

Summary -cyclodextrin was used in the mobile phase as chiral selector for separating the enantiomers of terbutaline, chlorthalidone and oxazepam. The effect on chiral resolution using e.g. hydrophobic, polar or cation exchanging stationary phases was investigated. Both the chiral separation factor and retention level were affected by the concentration of methanol and -cyclodextrin. The stationary phase had no effect on the chiral separation only on the level of retention. By tuning the concentration of -cyclodextrin and methanol in the mobile phase chiral separation could be obtained on most stationary phases. By changing the stationary phase while adjusting the mobile phase composition to maintain the chiral selectivity, improvements of the selectivity towards e.g. endogenous compounds can be obtained when separating enantiomers in complex matrixes as biological fluids. Further improvement on selectivity can be obtained if coupled columns are used. This is examplified for separation of chlorthalidone and terbutaline enantiomers in biological fluids by coupling an achiral column to another achiral column and using a mobile phase containing -cyclodextrin on the last column.     

Bergman Subspaces and Subkernels: Degenerate $$L^p$$ Mapping and Zeroes

Regularity and irregularity of the Bergman projection on \(L^p\) spaces is established on a natural family of bounded, pseudoconvex domains. The family is parameterized by a real variable \(\gamma \). A surprising consequence of the analysis is that, whenever \(\gamma \) is irrational, the Bergman projection is bounded only for \(p=2\).     

Ready-made matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization target plates coated with thin matrix layer for automated sample deposition in high-density array format.

The methodology for ready-made matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) target plates covered with an optimized thin layer consisting of matrix and nitrocellulose has been developed. Piezoelectric microdispensing enabled sample depositions in a high-density array format of 2000 sample depositions on a conventionally sized target plate (45 x 47 mm). The sample depositions were made reproducibly in a fully automated mode by using an in-house developed computer-controlled piezoelectric flow-through microdispenser. Additionally, the piezoelectric technique facilitated significant analyte enrichment that increased the detection sensitivity. The MS signal was obtained rapidly, generally within ten laser pulses. An airbrush device was used to generate a fine spray of matrix and nitrocellulose dissolved in acetone. The acetone evaporated instantly when reaching the target plate leaving the entire surface with a thin and uniform matrix/nitrocellulose coating consisting of very small crystals of matrix embedded in the nitrocellulose. These crystals acted as a seed-layer on subsequent analyte depositions, rendering homogeneous sample spots when using alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) as matrix. The relative standard deviation of the signal intensity between spots was (20-30)% (n = 30). The detection sensitivity was improved by restricting the sample spot diameter to 300 microm. The spot size was affected by the deposition rate and the evaporation rate of the dispensed sample volume. Mass spectra of a 25-amol peptide mixture deposition were successfully recorded.     

A coulometric method for the assay of some easily oxidized organic substances with iodine as an oxidizing agent

A coulometric method for the assay of easily oxidized organic substances, using iodine as an oxidizing agent, has been developed. The principle of the method is to oxidize the substance with an excess of iodine in a water-acetic acid medium and then titrate the iodide formed, with anodically generated silver ion. The titration is followed by dead-stop indication using two platinum electrodes. The method has been applied to the assay of dihydric phenols with hydroxyl groups in the ortho or para positions and to the determination of ascorbic acid in various pharmaceutical preparations. The absolute relative error varied between 0.2 and 2.8% for the 8 phenols investigated and the relative standard deviation between 0.2 and 1%. For standard solutions of ascorbic acid the absolute relative error was 0.9% and for the 6 pharmaceutical preparations investigated the relative standard deviation lay in the range 0.3-0.9%. The method is easy to apply and has a number of advantages over current iodimetric methods.     

Can the structure of proteins be calculated?

In contrast to soluble proteins, membrane proteins offer the possibility, to predict their secondary structure with some reliability. Based on such predictions a set of initial conformation can be constructed on which molecular dynamics simulations are performed in order to find the most stable state. The important point is that all those degrees of freedom which change slowly in time must be varied artificially in the set of initial conformations. This procedure is demonstrated for the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin.Dedicated to Professor W. Brenig on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Order parameters in hydrocarbon chains

Order in lipid bilayers is often described by order parameters S_CD, S_HH and S_chain which are rather directly obtained from deuterium NMR, proton NMR and ESR spectroscopy respectively. A relation is derived that makes one of these parameters redundant from purely geometrical reasons. Further, the effect of conformational disorder upon these order parameters is investigated theoretically using a trans—gauche model. Corrections from the finite of the trans—gauche wells and from non-fixed valence angles are shown to be negligible.     

Is Multidimensional High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) an Alternative in Protein Analysis to 2D Gel Electrophoresis?

The interactive modes of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) of proteins provide a platform for the construction of a multidimensional HPLC system coupled to mass spectrometry. We present a system composed of both anion and cation exchanger columns, in the first dimension, and n‐octadecyl bonded 1.5 μm nonporous silica columns in the second dimension. Both columns are operated under gradient conditions. A system suitability test with standard proteins showed that the total analysis can be performed within about 20 minutes. The fractions taken from the ion exchanger column are directly analyzed within one minute on the reversed phase column at a high flow rate. Two reversed phase columns are applied and operated alternatively: while the first column performs the separation within one minute, the analytes leaving the first dimension are enriched in an on‐column focusing mode on top of the second column. The sample clean‐up and enrichment is performed on a novel type of restricted access cation exchanger column with internal sulfonic acid groups and external diol groups. The columns exhibit a molecular weight exclusion limit for globular proteins of about 15 kDa. Our next studies will be directed towards the analysis of proteins and peptides from extracts of fibroblasts.     

Automated analysis of terbutaline (BricanylR) in human plasma with liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection using column-switching (multidimensional chromatography)

Summary An automated method based on liquid chromatography has been developed for the determination of terbutaline in human plasma in the range of 5–50 pmole·ml^–1. The necessary sensitivity and selectivity was obtained by using electrochemical detection and a microprocessor-controlled column switching system. A combination of three columns was used: a C₈ type for pre-separation, a C₁₈ type for trapping and, for final separation, a strongly acidic ion exchanger. The accuracy of the method was examined by comparison with a method based on gas chromatography — mass spectrometry. The overall precision was ±3.5% and ±2.2% respectively at 5 and 50 pmole·ml^–1. The total absolute recovery for terbutaline and internal standard at the above concentration levels were in the range 85–106%.Presented at the 14th International Symposium on Chromatography London, September, 1982