Tawnya G. Flick

Coordination of trivalent metal cations to peptides: results from IRMPD spectroscopy and theory.

Structures of trivalent lanthanide metal cations La(3+), Ho(3+), and Eu(3+) with deprotonated Ala(n) (n = 2-5) or Leu-enk (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu) are investigated with infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy between 900 and 1850 cm(-1) and theory. In all of these complexes, a salt bridge is formed in which the metal cation coordinates to the carboxylate group of the peptide, resulting in a limited conformational space and many sharp IRMPD spectral bands. The IRMPD spectra clearly indicate that all carbonyl groups solvate the metal cation in each of the Ala(n) complexes. Due to strong vibrational coupling between the carbonyl groups, a sharp, high-energy amide I band due to in-phase stretching of all of the amide carbonyl groups bound to the metal cation is observed that is separated by approximately 50 cm(-1) from a strong, lower-energy amide I band. This extent of carbonyl coupling, which is sometimes observed in condensed-phase peptide and protein IR spectroscopy, has not been reported in IRMPD spectroscopy studies of other cationized peptide complexes. Intense bands due to carbonyl groups not associated with the metal cation are observed for Leu-enk complexes, indicating that a side chain group, such as the Tyr or Phe aromatic ring, prevents complete carbonyl coordination of the metal cation. Substitution of smaller lanthanide cations for La(3+) in these peptide complexes results only in minor structural changes consistent with the change in metal cation size. These are the first IRMPD spectra reported for lanthanide metal cationized peptides, and comparison to previously reported protonated and alkali metal or alkaline earth metal cationized peptide complexes reveals many trends consistent with the higher charge state of the lanthanide cations.

Solution Additives that Desalt Protein Ions in Native Mass Spectrometry

The presence of many salts, such as sodium chloride, can adversely affect the performance of native electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the analysis of proteins and protein complexes by reducing the overall molecular ion abundances and distributing signal for any given charge state into many cationized forms with various numbers of adducts attached. Several solution additives, such as ammonium bromide, ammonium iodide, and NaSbF(6), can significantly lower the extent of sodium ion adduction to the molecular ions of proteins and protein complexes. For ubiquitin, addition of 25 mM ammonium bromide or ammonium iodide into aqueous solutions also containing 1.0 mM NaCl results in a factor of 72 and 56 increase, respectively, in the relative abundances of the fully protonated molecular ions compared to when these additives are not present. The effectiveness of this method for reducing sodium ion adduction is related to the low proton affinity (PA) values of the anions. Anions with very low PA also have a propensity to adduct as an acid molecule, but these adducts can be readily dissociated from the molecular ions either by activation in the source or subsequently by collisional activation in the mass spectrometer. This method of reducing sodium ion adduction to proteins is simple and requires no experimental modifications, making it an attractive alternative to other methods for desalting proteins prior to mass spectrometry analysis.

Structural resolution of 4-substituted proline diastereomers with ion mobility spectrometry via alkali metal ion cationization.

The chirality of substituents on an amino acid can significantly change its mode of binding to a metal ion, as shown here experimentally by traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (TWIMS-MS) of different proline isomeric molecules complexed with alkali metal ions. Baseline separation of the cis- and trans- forms of both hydroxyproline and fluoroproline was achieved using TWIMS-MS via metal ion cationization (Li(+), Na(+), K(+), and Cs(+)). Density functional theory calculations indicate that differentiation of these diastereomers is a result of the stabilization of differing metal-complexed forms adopted by the diastereomers when cationized by an alkali metal cation, [M + X](+) where X = Li, Na, K, and Cs, versus the topologically similar structures of the protonated molecules, [M + H](+). Metal-cationized trans-proline variants exist in a linear salt-bridge form where the metal ion interacts with a deprotonated carboxylic acid and the proton is displaced onto the nitrogen atom of the pyrrolidine ring. In contrast, metal-cationized cis-proline variants adopt a compact structure where the carbonyl of the carboxylic acid, nitrogen atom, and if available, the hydroxyl and fluorine substituent solvate the metal ion. Experimentally, it was observed that the resolution between alkali metal-cationized cis- and trans-proline variants decreases as the size of the metal ion increases. Density functional theory demonstrates that this is due to the decreasing stability of the compact charge-solvated cis-proline structure with increased metal ion radius, likely a result of steric hindrance and/or weaker binding to the larger metal ion. Furthermore, the unique structures adopted by the alkali metal-cationized cis- and trans-proline variants results in these molecules having significantly different quantum mechanically calculated dipole moments, a factor that can be further exploited to improve the diastereomeric resolution when utilizing a drift gas with a higher polarizability constant.

A Simple and Robust Method for Determining the Number of Basic Sites in Peptides and Proteins Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

A solution additive has been discovered that can be used to measure the number of basic sites in a peptide or protein using electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. Addition of millimolar amounts of perchloric acid (HClO(4)) to aqueous solutions that contain peptides or proteins results in the noncovalent adduction of HClO(4) molecules to the multiply charged ions formed by ESI. For 18 oligopeptides and proteins, ranging in molecular weight from 0.5 to 18.3 kDa, the sum of the number of protons plus maximum number of HClO(4) molecules adducted to the lower charge state ions is equal to the number of basic sites in the molecule. This method provides a rapid means of obtaining information about the composition of a peptide or protein and does not require high-resolution measurements or any instrumental or experimental modifications.

Effects of metal ion adduction on the gas-phase conformations of protein ions.

AbstractChanges in protein ion conformation as a result of nonspecific adduction of metal ions to the protein during electrospray ionization (ESI) from aqueous solutions were investigated using traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS). For all proteins examined, protein cations (and in most cases anions) with nonspecific metal ion adducts are more compact than the fully protonated (or deprotonated) ions with the same charge state. Compaction of protein cations upon nonspecific metal ion binding is most significant for intermediate charge state ions, and there is a greater reduction in collisional cross section with increasing number of metal ion adducts and increasing ion valency, consistent with an electrostatic interaction between the ions and the protein. Protein cations with the greatest number of adducted metal ions are no more compact than the lowest protonated ions formed from aqueous solutions. These results show that smaller collisional cross sections for metal-attached protein ions are not a good indicator of a specific metal–protein interaction in solution because nonspecific metal ion adduction also results in smaller gaseous protein cation cross sections. In contrast, the collisional cross section of α-lactalbumin, which specifically binds one Ca2+, is larger for the holo-form compared with the apo-form, in agreement with solution-phase measurements. Because compaction of protein cations occurs when metal ion adduction is nonspecific, elongation of a protein cation may be a more reliable indicator that a specific metal ion–protein interaction occurs in solution.

Direct quantitation of peptide mixtures without standards using clusters formed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

In electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, ion abundances depend on a number of different factors, including analyte surface activity, competition between analytes for charge, analyte concentration, as well as instrumental factors, including mass-dependent ion transmission and detection. Here, a novel method for obtaining quantitative information about solution-phase concentrations of peptide mixtures is described and demonstrated for five different peptide mixtures with relative concentrations ranging from 0.05% to 50%. In this method, the abundances of large clusters containing anywhere from 0 to 13 impurity molecules are measured and directly related to the relative solution-phase concentration of the peptides. For clusters containing approximately 15 or more peptides, the composition of the clusters approaches the statistical value indicating that these clusters are formed nonspecifically and that any differences in ion detection or ionization efficiency are negligible at these large cluster sizes. This method is accurate to within approximately 20% or better, even when the relative ion intensities of the protonated monomers can differ by over an order of magnitude compared to their solution-phase concentrations. Although less accurate than other quantitation methods that employ internal standards, this method does have the key advantages of speed, simplicity, and the ability to quantitate components in solution even when the identities of the components are unknown.

Direct Standard-Free Quantitation of Tamiflu® and Other Pharmaceutical Tablets using Clustering Agents with Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Accurate and rapid quantitation is advantageous to identify counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical drugs. A standard-free electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method is used to directly determine the dosage in the prescription and over-the-counter drugs Tamiflu, Sudafed, and Dramamine. A tablet of each drug was dissolved in aqueous solution, filtered, and introduced into solutions containing a known concentration of l-tryptophan, l-phenylalanine, or prednisone as a clustering agent. The active ingredient(s) incorporates statistically into large clusters of the clustering agent where effects of differential ionization/detection are substantially reduced. From the abundances of large clusters, the dosages of the active ingredients in each of the tablets were determined to typically better than 20% accuracy even when the ionization/detection efficiency of the individual components differed by over 100x. Although this unorthodox method for quantitation is not as accurate as using conventional standards, it has the advantages that it is fast, it can be applied to mixtures where the identities of the analytes are unknown, and it can be used when suitable standards may not be readily available, such as schedule I or II controlled substances or new designer drugs that have not previously been identified.

Electrophoretic Desalting To Improve Performance in Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometers are sensitive tools used to identify and quantify both small and large analytes using the mass-to-charge ratios ( m/ z) of ions generated by electrospray ionization (ESI) or other methods. Ionization typically generates protonated or deprotonated forms of the analytes or adducts with adventitious metal ions derived from the spray solvent. The formation of a variety of ionized forms of the analyte as well as the presence of cluster ions complicates the data and can have deleterious effects on the performance of the mass spectrometer, especially under high salt or buffer conditions. To address this, a method involving a dual-electrode nano-electrospray source has been implemented to rapidly and temporarily desalt the spray solution of interfering cationic and anionic species using electrophoretic transport from the spray tip. Peptides, proteins, and pharmaceutical drugs all showed improved results after the desalting process as measured by the quality of the mass spectra and the limits of detection achieved. Importantly ordinary phosphate buffers could be used to record protein mass spectra by nano-ESI.

Simultaneous Online Monitoring of Multiple Reactions Using a Miniature Mass Spectrometer

Advances in chemical sampling using miniature mass spectrometer technology are used to monitor slow reactions at a frequency of ca. 180 h-1 (on the Mini 12) with no sample carryover and with inline derivatization in the case of poorly ionizing compounds. Moreover, we demonstrate high reproducibility with a relative error of less than 10% for major components. Monitoring is enabled using a continuous-flow nanoelectrospray (CF-nESI) probe contained in a custom-built 3D-printed rotary holder. The holder position is automatically set using a stepper motor controlled by a microcontroller. Reaction progress of up to six reactions, including hydrazone formation and Katritzky transamination, can be monitored simultaneously without carryover for several hours.

Gas Phase Ion Chemistry to Determine Isoaspartate in a Peptide Backbone

AbstractProof of concept evidence is presented for a new method for the determination of isoaspartate, an important post-translational modification. Chemical derivatization is performed using common reagents for the modification of carboxylic acids and shown to yield suitable diagnostic information with regard to isomerization at the aspartate residue. The diagnostic gas phase chemistry is probed by collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry, on the timescale of the MS experiment and semi-quantitative calibration of the percentage of isoaspartate in a peptide sample is demonstrated. Graphical Abstractᅟ