Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of Mycobacterial glycopeptidolipid antigens: Structural characterization by charge remote fragmentation

Mycobacteria contain species- and type-specific antigens. Among them, glycopeptidolipids are present in medically relevant organisms belonging to Mycobacterium avium or M. fortuitum complexes. Fast-a tom bombardment mass spectrometry of glycopeptidolipids has proven to be difficult. In this article the cationization method with a metanitrobenzyl alcohol matrix, doped with sodium iodide, is described for analyzing these molecules. The molecular weight of the intact glycopeptidolipids was successfully determined and, using mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy spectrometry, the complete sequences of the peptide and saccharide moieties were elucidated. Moreover, the two structural variants present in these molecules were clearly differentiated. Application of the method showed that the same structural variant occurs in the glycopeptidolipids from two serologically related species of the M. fortuitum complex.