Ultraviolet Photodissociation of Carboxylate-Derivatized Peptides in a Quadrupole Ion Trap

The fragmentation patterns obtained by ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer were compared for peptides modified at their C-termini and at acidic amino acids. Attachment of Alexa Fluor 350 or 7-amino-4-methyl-coumarin chromophores at the C-terminal and acidic residues enhances the UV absorptivity of the peptides and all fragment ions that retain the chromophore, such as the y ions that contain the chromophore-modified C-terminus. Whereas CID results in the formation of the typical array of mainly y-type and a/b-type fragment ions, UVPD produces predominantly a/b-type ions with greatly reduced abundances of y ions. Immonium ions, mostly ones from aromatic or basic amino acids, are also observed in the low m/z range upon UVPD. UVPD of peptides containing two chromophore moieties (with one at the C-terminus and another at an acidic residue) results in even more efficient photodissociation at the expense of the annihilation of almost all diagnostic b and y ions containing the chromophore.