Mei-Chun Tseng

New Chromogenic and Fluorescent Probes for Anion Detection: Formation of a [2 + 2] Supramolecular Complex on Addition of Fluoride with Positive Homotropic Cooperativity

Two new chromogenic and fluorescent probes for anions have been designed, synthesized, and characterized. These probes contain multiple hydrogen bonding donors including hydrazine, hydrazone, and hydroxyl functional groups for potential anion interacting sites. Despite the possible flexible structural framework due to the presence of sp3 carbon linkage, X-ray structure analysis of probe 2 displayed an essentially planar conformation in the solid state owing to strong crystal packing interactions comprising a combination of favorable pi-pi stacking effect and hydrogen bonding to cocrystallized CH3OH molecules. Both probes 1 and 2 display orange color in DMSO solution and show fairly weak fluorescence at room temperature. Binding studies revealed that both probes 1 and 2 show noticeable colorimetric and fluorescent responses only to F-, OAc-, and H2PO4- among the nine anions tested (F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, OAc-, H2PO4-, HSO4-, ClO4-, and NO3-). The general trend of the sensitivity to anions follows the order of F- > OAc- > H2PO4- > Cl- > Br- approximately I- approximately HSO4- approximately ClO4- approximately NO3-. A 1:2 (probe to anion) binding stoichiometry was found for probe 1 with OAc- and H2PO4- and probe 2 with F-, OAc-, and H2PO4-. The binding isotherm of probe 1 to F- was found to be complicated with apparent multiple equilibria occurring in solution. The formation of an aggregated supramolecular complex upon addition of fluoride is proposed to rationalize the observed optical responses and is supported by ESI mass spectrometry and pulsed-field gradient NMR spectroscopy. Data analysis suggests that the binding of probe 1 to F- shows positive homotropic cooperativity.

Dihydrobenzoic acid modified nanoparticle as a MALDI-TOF MS matrix for soft ionization and structure determination of small molecules with diverse structures

Efficient structural characterization is important for quality control when developing novel materials. In this study, we demonstrated the soft ionization capability of the hybrid of immobilized silica and 2,5-dihydrobenzoic acid (DHB) on iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles in MALDI-TOF MS with a clean background. The ratio between SiO2 and DHB was examined and was found to affect the surface immobilization of DHB on the nanoparticle, critically controlling the ionization efficiency and interference background. Compared with commercial DHB, the functionalized nanoparticle-assisted MALDI-TOF MS provided superior soft ionization with production of strong molecular ions within 5 ppm mass accuracy on a variety of new types of synthetic materials used for solar cells, light emitting devices, dendrimers, and glycolipids, including analytes with either thermally labile structures or poor protonation tendencies. In addition, the enhancements of the molecular ion signal also provided high-quality product-ion spectra allowing structural characterization and unambiguous small molecule identification. Using this technique, the structural differences among the isomers were distinguished through their characteristic fragment ions and comprehensive fragmentation patterns. With the advantages of long-term stability and simple sample preparation by deposition on a regular sample plate, the use of DHB-functionalized nanoparticles combined with high-resolution MALDI-TOF MS provides a generic platform for rapid and unambiguous structure determination of small molecules.

Tumor Cells Require Thymidylate Kinase to Prevent dUTP Incorporation during DNA Repair

The synthesis of dTDP is unique because there is a requirement for thymidylate kinase (TMPK). All other dNDPs including dUDP are directly produced by ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). We report the binding of TMPK and RNR at sites of DNA damage. In tumor cells, when TMPK function is blocked, dUTP is incorporated during DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. Disrupting RNR recruitment to damage sites or reducing the expression of the R2 subunit of RNR prevents the impairment of DNA repair by TMPK intervention, indicating that RNR contributes to dUTP incorporation during DSB repair. We identified a cell-permeable nontoxic inhibitor of TMPK that sensitizes tumor cells to doxorubicin in vitro and in vivo, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic option.

Tunnel frit: a nonmetallic in-capillary frit for nanoflow ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometryapplications.

In this study, an easy method to fabricate a durable in-capillary frit was developed for use in nanoflow liquid chromatography (nanoLC). A small orifice was tunneled into the sol-gel frit during the polymerization process resulting in the simple fabrication of a tunnel frit. A short packing tunnel frit column (2 cm, C(18) particles) was able to sustain over 10,000 psi continuous liquid flow for 10 days without observation of particle loss, and back pressure variation was less than 5%. The tunnel frit was successfully applied to the fabrication of nanoflow ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (nano-UHPLC) trap and analytical columns. In the analysis of tryptic peptides, the tunnel frit trap and analytical columns were demonstrated to have high separation efficiency and sensitivity. In analysis of phosphopeptides, the use of the nonmetallic tunnel frit column showed better sensitivity than the metallic frit column. This design can facilitate the preparation of nano-HPLC and nano-UHPLC columns and the packing material can easily be refilled when the column is severely contaminated or clogged.

Nanoparticle-assisted MALDI-TOF MS combined with seed-layer surface preparation for quantification of small molecules.

Despite the advantages of simplicity and high-throughput detection that matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has over other methods, quantitative analysis of low-molecular-weight analyte is hampered by interference from matrix-derived background noise and signal fluctuation due to the inhomogeneous MALDI sample surface. Taking advantage of improved sample homogeneity through matrix-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles (matrix@MNP) and the seed-layer method, we report a new strategy for the rapid identification and quantification of drugs in urine samples, using morphine and 7-aminoflunitrazepam (7-aminoFM2) as model compounds. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt using the seed-layer method for small molecule analysis. By applying the proposed seed-layer method, which was specifically optimized for the 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid@MNP (DHB@MNP) matrix, homogeneous sample crystallization examined by microscopy analysis was obtained that generated reproducible MALDI signals (RSD<10.0%). For urine sample analysis, simple liquid-liquid extraction as a sample pretreatment step effectively reduced the ion suppression effect caused by the endogenous components in urine; good recoveries (82-90%) were obtained with a small ion suppression effect (<14% of signal decrease). This newly developed method demonstrated good quantitation linearity over a range of 50-2000 ng mL(-1) (R(2)>0.996) with reduced signal variation (RSD<10.0%). The detection limit is 30 ng mL(-1) with good precision (intra-day, 2.0-9.3%; inter-day, 5.0-10.0%) and accuracy (intra-day, 95.0-106.0%; inter-day, 103.0-115.5%). The nanoparticle-assisted MALDI-TOF MS combined with seed-layer surface preparation provides a rapid, efficient and accurate platform for the quantification of small molecules in urine samples.

A copper(II) complex as an intermediate of copper(I)-catalyzed C-N cross coupling of N-phenylaniline with aryl halide by in situ ESI-MS study.

Complexes [Cu(NPh(2))(2)](-), [Cu(NPh(2))I](-) and K[Cu(phen)(NPh(2)) (p-tolyl)](+) were observed by in situ electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis of the copper(I)-catalyzed C-N coupling reaction under the catalytic reaction condition indicating that they are intermediates in the reaction. A catalytic cycle composed of a free radical path and a 2e oxidative addition path is proposed based on these observations.

A novel titanium dioxide-polydimethylsiloxane plate for phosphopeptide enrichment and mass spectrometry analysis

The phosphorylation of proteins is a major post-translational modification that is required for the regulation of many cellular processes and activities. Mass spectrometry signals of low-abundance phosphorylated peptides are commonly suppressed by the presence of abundant non-phosphorylated peptides. Therefore, one of the major challenges in the detection of low-abundance phosphopeptides is their enrichment from complex peptide mixtures. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been proven to be a highly efficient approach for phosphopeptide enrichment and is widely applied. In this study, a novel TiO2 plate was developed by coating TiO2 particles onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated MALDI plates, glass, or plastic substrates. The TiO2-PDMS plate (TP plate) could be used for on-target MALDI-TOF analysis, or as a purification plate on which phosphopeptides were eluted out and subjected to MALDI-TOF or nanoLC-MS/MS analysis. The detection limit of the TP plate was ∼10-folds lower than that of a TiO2-packed tip approach. The capacity of the ∼2.5 mm diameter TiO2 spots was estimated to be ∼10 μg of β-casein. Following TiO2 plate enrichment of SCC4 cell lysate digests and nanoLC-MS/MS analysis, ∼82% of the detected proteins were phosphorylated, illustrating the sensitivity and effectiveness of the TP plate for phosphoproteomic study.

Sensitivity improvement of CE/ESI/MS analysis of gangliosides using a liquid-junction/low-flow interface

Methodology is presented which greatly improves the sensitivity of ganglioside analysis by CE/MS without compromising separation efficiency. In this method, non‐volatile additives were removed, where possible, to reduce ion suppression. Specifically, α‐CD, used to break up ganglioside micelle formation, was replaced with isopropyl alcohol. To reduce ion suppression from sodium ions, ammonium borate was substituted for sodium borate in the preparation of borate buffer. Because borate anions were found to be essential for CE separation, a liquid‐junction/low‐flow interface was employed to restrict borate anions from entering the ESI ion source. With proper control over the EOF in the connecting capillary, borate anions were controlled to migrate away from the ESI ion source. With these modifications, the sensitivity of CE/MS analysis of gangliosides was improved significantly.

Visual Indicator for Surfactant Abundance in MS-Based Membrane and General Proteomics Applications

The existence of surfactants in proteomics samples can severely reduce enzymatic digestion efficiency, liquid chromatography (LC) separation efficiency, column lifetime, and mass spectrometry (MS) sensitivity. Although various techniques are able to remove surfactants, surfactants may occasionally be retained in samples due to variations in sample preparation method or personal skill. Evaluation of surfactant residue in a sample, however, usually requires an additional instrument and is time-consuming. In this study, a simple and rapid visual indicator for surfactant abundance (VISA) was developed. With the detection of a visible surfactant pellet in the solution, this assay was able to detect surfactant residue in aqueous solutions within 5 min. Without the need of additional equipment such as a mass spectrometer, every user can perform a quick test on their bench before sending the sample to the MS facility. The detection limit for the commonly used surfactants, Triton X-114 and SDS, was about 0.0005% and 0.0002%, respectively. The VISA was successfully applied to evaluate the efficiency of removal of surfactants in Triton X-114 extracted membrane proteins using tube-gel. With the combination of Triton X-114 extraction and tube-gel protocol, a study of spermatozoa membrane proteome identified about 252 proteins of which about 67.5% were classified as membrane proteins. The coexistence of protein and surfactant did not affect the VISA sensitivity, suggesting that this indicator is suitable for proteomics applications. The VISA also has potential for the detection of other surfactants and can be applied to other surfactant removing protocols.

Simple fabrication of hydrophobic surface target for increased sensitivity and homogeneity in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of peptides, phosphopeptides, carbohydrates and proteins

To enhance sample signals and improve homogeneity in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) analysis, a simple, rapid, and efficient sample preparation method was developed in this study. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was coated on a stainless steel MALDI plate, forming a transparent, hydrophobic surface that enhanced sample signals without producing observable background signals. Compared to the use of an unmodified commercial metal MALDI plate, peptide signals were enhanced by ~7.1-11.0-fold due to the reduced sample spot area of the PDMS-coated plate, and showed improved peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) and MS/MS peptide sequencing results. In the analysis of phosphopeptides and carbohydrates with a 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) matrix, the PDMS-coated plate showed improved sample homogeneity and signal enhancements of ~5.2-8.2-fold and ~2.8-3.2-fold, respectively. Improved sensitivity in the observation of more unique fragment ions by MS/MS analysis, to successfully distinguish isomeric carbohydrates, was also illustrated. In protein analysis with a sinapinic acid (SA) matrix, a ~3.4-fold signal enhancement was observed. The PDMS film coating was easily removed and refabricated to avoid sample carryover, and was applicable to diverse commercial MALDI plates. The PDMS-coated approach is a simple, practical, and attractive method for enhancing analyte signals and homogeneity.