Improved peptide detection with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry by trimethylation of amino groups

Trimethyl alpha-amino derivatives of peptides (penta to deca) with a permanent positive charge on their alpha-amino groups were prepared by in vacuo reaction with iodomethane and subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Compared to the unmodified peptide, the signal intensity of the trimethyl alpha-amino derivative in MALDI-MS is increased by at least an order of magnitude. Similarly, an octapeptide with a trimethylated epsilon-amino group derived from the solitary lysine residue of the B-chain of insulin also shows the same relative increase in signal intensity. Another advantage of the in vacuo methylation procedure is that trimethylation of a peptide amino group can be carried out readily with a combination of isotopes (13)CH(3)I and (12)CH(3)I or CD(3)I and CH(3)I, yielding a doublet signal either 3 or 9 units apart, respectively. The presence or absence of such a doublet signal can be used as a criterion to discriminate between peptide and non-peptide signals in the mass spectrum.