Protein glycosylation analyzed by normal-phase nano-liquid chromatography--mass spectrometry of glycopeptides

A new method for the mass spectrometric characterization of site-specific protein glycosylation is presented. Glycoprotein samples were subjected to unspecific proteolysis by Pronase, resulting in glycopeptides with peptide moieties of mostly two to eight amino acids. Resulting (glyco-)peptide samples were resolved by nanoscale normal-phase liquid chromatography (LC)-online mass spectrometry (MS). Retention depended on the size of the glycan chain and allowed the separation of identical peptide moieties containing different N-glycan structures. Glycopeptides were analyzed in an ion trap instrument performing repetitive ion isolation/fragmentation cycles. While the MS/MS spectra were dominated by fragmentations of glycosidic linkages, MS(3) spectra exhibited cleavages of the peptide backbone and provided information on the peptide sequence and glycan attachment site. When applied to the model glycoproteins ribonuclease B and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), the method provided detailed insights into protein glycosylation and revealed some new features of site-specific glycosylation of HRP. Application of the method to Dolichos biflorus lectin, which has hitherto not been studied with respect to its glycosylation, identified two glycans attached alternatively to its single glycosylation site. Thus, the presented, unique combination of Pronase digestion of glycoproteins, normal-phase nano-LC, and multistage MS provides a method for the facile characterization of site-specific protein glycosylation.     

Determination of N-glycosylation sites and site heterogeneity in glycoproteins

An approach for the characterization of glycosylation sites and oligosaccharide heterogeneity in glycoproteins based on a combination of nonspecific proteolysis, deglycosylation, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (MALDI-FT MS) is described. Glycoproteins were digested with Pronase yielding primarily glycopeptides and amino acids. Nonglycosylated peptide fragments were susceptible to complete Pronase digestion to their constituent amino acids. Steric hindrance prohibited the digestion of the peptide moiety attached to the glycan. Glycopeptides were desalted and concentrated using solid-phase extraction and analyzed by MALDI MS. The oligosaccharides were also analyzed by MALDI MS after releasing the glycans from glycoproteins using PNGase F. The peptide moiety of the glycopeptides was identified by subtracting the masses of the glycans derived from PNGase F treatment from the masses of the glycopeptides. The experimental strategy was validated using glycoproteins with known oligosaccharide structures, ribonuclease B and chicken ovalbumin. This procedure was then used to determine the N-glycosylation sites and site heterogeneity of a glycoprotein whose glycosylation pattern was unknown, namely, the Xenopus laevis egg cortical granule lectin. This procedure is useful for determining protein site heterogeneity and structural heterogeneities of the oligosaccharide moiety of glycoproteins.     

Analysis of glycopeptides using lectin affinity chromatography with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Glycopeptides prepared from 1 nmol of a mixture of glycoproteins, transferrin, and ribonuclease B by lysylendopeptidase digestion were isolated by lectin and cellulose column chromatographies, and then they were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and MALDI-quadrupole ion trap (QIT)-TOF mass spectrometry which enables the performance of MS ( n ) analysis. The lectin affinity preparation of glycopeptides with Sambucus nigra agglutinin and concanavalin A provides the glycan structure outlines for the sialyl linkage and the core structure of N-glycans. Such structural estimation was confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS and MALDI-QIT-TOF MS/MS. Amino acid sequences and location of glycosylation sites were determined by MALDI-QIT-TOF MS/MS/MS. Taken together, the combination of lectin column chromatography, MALDI-TOF MS, and MALDI-QIT-TOF MS ( n ) provides an easy way for the structural estimation of glycans and the rapid analysis of glycoproteomics.     

Enhanced detection and identification of glycopeptides in negative ion mode mass spectrometry

A combined mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) approach implemented with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI FTICR MS) in the negative ion mode is described for enhanced glycopeptide detection and MS/MS analysis. Positive ion mode MS analysis is widely used for glycopeptide characterization, but the analyses are hampered by potential charge-induced fragmentation of the glycopeptides and poor detection of the glycopeptides harboring sialic acids. Furthermore, tandem MS analysis (MS/MS) via collision-induced dissociation (CID) of glycopeptides in the positive ion mode predominantly yields glycan fragmentation with minimal information to verify the connecting peptide moiety. In this study, glycoproteins such as, bovine lactoferrin (b-LF) for N-glycosylation and kappa casein (k-CN) for O-glycosylation were analyzed in both the positive- and negative ion modes after digestion with bead-immobilized Pronase. For the b-LF analysis, 44 potential N-linked glycopeptides were detected in the positive ion mode while 61 potential N-linked glycopeptides were detected in the negative ion mode. By the same token, more O-linked glycopeptides mainly harboring sialic acids from k-CN were detected in the negative ion mode. The enhanced glycopeptide detection allowed improved site-specific analysis of protein glycosylation and superior to positive ion mode detection. Overall, the negative ion mode approach is aimed toward enhanced N- and O-linked glycopeptide detection and to serve as a complementary tool to positive ion mode MS/MS analysis.     

Determination and characterization of site-specific N-glycosylation using MALDI-Qq-TOF tandem mass spectrometry: case study with a plant protease

MALDI tandem mass spectrometry analysis on a hybrid quadrupole-quadrupole time-of-flight (Qq-TOF) instrument was used in combination with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, proteolytic digestion, and liquid chromatography for identification and structural characterization of glycosylation in a novel glycoprotein, pathogenesis-related subtilisin-like proteinase P69B from tomato. Glycopeptide fractions from microcolumn reversed-phase HPLC deposited on MALDI targets were identified from MS by their specific m/z spacing patterns (203, 162, 146 u) between glycoforms. In most cases, MS/MS spectra of [M + H]+ ions of glycopeptides featured peaks useful for determining sugar compositions, peptide sequences, and thus probable glycosylation sites. Furthermore, peptide-related product ions could readily be used in database search procedures to identify the glycoprotein. Four out of five predicted glycosylation sites were biologically relevant and occupied by five N-linked glycan side chains each. In addition, the fragmentation efficiency allowed detection of further modification of methionine-containing glycoforms with either oxidized or iodoacetamide alkylated methionine. The high resolution furnished by MALDI-Qq-TOF allowed rapid and sensitive structural characterization of site-specific N-glycosylation from a limited quantity of material and revealed heterogeneity at different levels, including different glycan side-chain modifications, and heterogeneity of oligosaccharide structures on the same glycosylation site.     

Selective detection of glycopeptides on ion trap mass spectrometers

Generation of carbohydrate-specific marker ions during LC-ESMS of digested glycoproteins has been demonstrated to be a highly selective and sensitive approach for detection of glycopeptides. In principle, any mass spectrometer can produce and selectively detect carbohydrate marker ions provided that the instrument is capable of collisional excitation in the region prior to the first mass analyzer sufficient to form abundant oxonium ions. This approach has yet to be demonstrated on 3D ion trap mass spectrometers, which have become widely used for proteomic applications. Here we report the successful development and optimization of carbohydrate marker ion detection on a LCQ Deca 3D ion trap utilizing this scan function. Human alpha-1 acid glycoprotein and a therapeutic monoclonal antibody were chosen to illustrate this methodology. Marker ion detection during LC-ESMS facilitated collection of glycopeptide-containing fractions. Analysis of the glycopeptides in these fractions by MS identified the specific glycosylation sites and enabled the prediction of the family of glycoforms at each attachment site. Using these optimized conditions, marker ion detection and glycopeptide analysis could be achieved with as little as 10 pmol of a glycoprotein.     

Nano-LC-MS/MS of glycopeptides produced by nonspecific proteolysis enables rapid and extensive site-specific glycosylation determination

Given the biological importance of glycosylation on proteins, the identification of protein glycosylation sites is integral to understanding broader biological structure and function. Unfortunately, the determination of the microheterogeneity at the site of glycosylation still remains a significant challenge. Nanoflow liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry provides both separation of glycopeptides and the ability to determine glycan composition and site-specific glycosylation. However, because of the size of glycopeptides, they are not often amenable to tandem MS. In this work, proteins are digested with multiple proteases to produce glycopeptides that are of suitable size for tandem MS analysis. The conditions for collision-induced dissociation are optimized to obtain diagnostic ions that maximize glycan and peptide information. The method is applied to glycoproteins with contrasting glycans and multiple sites of glycosylation and identifies multiple glycan compositions at each individual glycosylation site. This method provides an important improvement in the routine determination of glycan microheterogeneity by mass spectrometry.     

Ultrasensitive characterization of site-specific glycosylation of affinity-purified haptoglobin from lung cancer patient plasma using 10 μm i.d. porous layer open tubular liquid chromatography-linear ion trap collision-induced dissociation/electron transfer dissociation mass spectrometry

Site-specific analysis of protein glycosylation is important for biochemical and clinical research efforts. Glycopeptide analysis using liquid chromatography-collision-induced dissociation/electron transfer dissociation mass spectrometry (LC-CID/ETD-MS) allows simultaneous characterization of the glycan structure and attached peptide site. However, due to the low ionization efficiency of glycopeptides during electrospray ionization, 200-500 fmol of sample per injection is needed for a single LC-MS run, which makes it challenging for the analysis of limited amounts of glycoprotein purified from biological matrixes. To improve the sensitivity of LC-MS analysis for glycopeptides, an ultranarrow porous layer open tubular (PLOT) LC column (2.5 m × 10 μm i.d.) was coupled to a linear ion trap (LTQ) collision-induced dissociation/electron transfer dissociation mass spectrometer to provide sensitive analysis of N-linked protein glycosylation heterogeneity. The potential of the developed method is demonstrated by the characterization of site-specific glycosylation using haptoglobin (Hpt) as a model protein. To limit the amount of haptoglobin to low picomole amounts of protein, we affinity purified it from 1 μL of pooled lung cancer patient plasma. A total of 26 glycoforms/glycan compositions on three Hpt tryptic glycopeptides were identified and quantified from 10 LC-MS runs with a consumption of 100 fmol of Hpt digest (13 ng of protein, 10 fmol per injection). Included in this analysis was the determination of the glycan occupancy level. At this sample consumption level, the high sensitivity of the PLOT LC-LTQ-CID/ETD-MS system allowed glycopeptide identification and structure determination, along with relative quantitation of glycans presented on the same peptide backbone, even for low abundant glycopeptides at the ～100 amol level. The PLOT LC-MS system is shown to have sufficient sensitivity to allow characterization of site-specific protein glycosylation from trace levels of glycosylated proteins.     

Sequencing of O-glycopeptides derived from an S-layer glycoprotein of Geobacillus stearothermophilus NRS 2004/3a containing up to 51 monosaccharide residues at a single glycosylation site by fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance infrared multiphoton dissociation mass spectrometry

The microheterogeneity of large sugar chains in glycopeptides from S-layer glycoproteins containing up to 51 monosaccharide residues at a single O-attachment site on a 12 amino acid peptide backbone was investigated by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS). Structural elucidation of glycopeptides with the same amino acid sequence and different glycoforms, having such a high saccharide-to-peptide ratio, was achieved by applying infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) MS/MS for the first time. A 100% sequence coverage of the glycan chain and a 50% coverage of the peptide backbone fragmentation were obtained. The microheterogeneity of carbohydrate chains at the same glycosylation site, containing largely rhamnose, could have been reliably assessed.     

High-efficiency on-line solid-phase extraction coupling to 15-150-microm-i.d. column liquid chromatography for proteomic analysis

The ability to manipulate and effectively utilize small proteomic samples is important for analyses using liquid chromatography (LC) in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) and becomes more challenging for very low flow rates due to extra column volume effects on separation quality. Here we report on the use of commercial switching valves (150-microm channels) for implementing the on-line coupling of capillary LC columns operated at 10,000 psi with relatively large solid-phase extraction (SPE) columns. With the use of optimized column connections, switching modes, and SPE column dimensions, high-efficiency on-line SPE-capillary and nanoscale LC separations were obtained demonstrating peak capacities of approximately 1000 for capillaries having inner diameters between 15 and 150 microm. The on-line coupled SPE columns increased the sample processing capacity by approximately 400-fold for sample solution volume and approximately 10-fold for sample mass. The proteomic applications of this on-line SPE-capillary LC system were evaluated for analysis of both soluble and membrane protein tryptic digests. Using an ion trap tandem MS it was typically feasible to identify 1100-1500 unique peptides in a 5-h analysis. Peptides extracted from the SPE column and then eluted from the LC column covered a hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity range that included an estimated approximately 98% of all tryptic peptides. The SPE-capillary LC implementation also facilitates automation and enables use of both disposable SPE columns and electrospray emitters, providing a robust basis for automated proteomic analyses.     

Separation and identification of isomeric glycopeptides by high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry

The analysis of intact glycopeptides by mass spectrometry is challenging due to the numerous possibilities for isomerization, both within the attached glycan and the location of the modification on the peptide backbone. Here, we demonstrate that high field asymmetric wave ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), also known as differential ion mobility, is able to separate isomeric O-linked glycopeptides that have identical sequences but differing sites of glycosylation. Two glycopeptides from the glycoprotein mucin 5AC, GT(GalNAc)TPSPVPTTSTTSAP and GTTPSPVPTTST(GalNAc)TSAP (where GalNAc is O-linked N-acetylgalactosamine), were shown to coelute following reversed-phase liquid chromatography. However, FAIMS analysis of the glycopeptides revealed that the compensation voltage ranges in which the peptides were transmitted differed. Thus, it is possible at certain compensation voltages to completely separate the glycopeptides. Separation of the glycopeptides was confirmed by unique reporter ions produced by supplemental activation electron transfer dissociation mass spectrometry. These fragments also enable localization of the site of glycosylation. The results suggest that glycan position plays a key role in determining gas-phase glycopeptide structure and have implications for the application of FAIMS in glycoproteomics.     

Prediction of collision-induced dissociation spectra of common N-glycopeptides for glycoform identification

Confident identification of the glycan moieties in glycopeptides by collision-induced dissociation (CID) requires accurate prediction of the CID spectrum of the glycopeptides. In this Article, the kinetic model for the prediction of peptide CID spectra is extended to predict the CID spectra of N-glycopeptides. The model was trained with 1831 ion-trap CID spectra of N-glycopeptides and is able to predict ion-trap CID spectra with excellent accuracy in ion intensities for N-glycopeptides up to 8000 u in mass. A total of 524 common glycoforms including complex N-glycans with 2-4 antennas, plus high-mannose type and hybrid type, can be predicted.     

Ultrasensitive proteomics using high-efficiency on-line micro-SPE-nanoLC-nanoESI MS and MS/MS

Ultrasensitive nanoscale proteomics approaches for characterizing proteins from complex proteomic samples of <50 ng of total mass are described. Protein identifications from 0.5 pg of whole proteome extracts were enabled by ultrahigh sensitivity (<75 zmol for individual proteins) achieved using high-efficiency (peak capacities of approximately 10(3)) 15-microm-i.d. capillary liquid chromatography separations (i.e., using nanoLC, approximately 20 nL/min mobile-phase flow rate at the optimal linear velocity of approximately 0.2 cm/s) coupled on-line with a micro-solid-phase sample extraction and a nanoscale electrospray ionization interface to a 11.4-T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer (MS). Proteome measurement coverage improved as sample size was increased from as little as 0.5 pg of sample. It was found that a 2.5-ng sample provided 14% coverage of all annotated open reading frames for the microorganism Deinococcus radiodurans, consistent with previous results for a specific culture condition. The estimated detection dynamic range for detected proteins was 10(5)-10(6). An improved accurate mass and LC elution time two-dimensional data analysis methodology, used to both speed and increase the confidence of peptide/protein identifications, enabled identification of 872 proteins/run from a single 3-h nanoLC/FTICR MS analysis. The low-zeptomole-level sensitivity provides a basis for extending proteomics studies to smaller cell populations and potentially to a single mammalian cell. Application with ion trap MS/MS instrumentation allowed protein identification from 50 pg (total mass) of proteomic samples (i.e., approximately 100 times larger than FTICR MS), corresponding to a sensitivity of approximately 7 amol for individual proteins. Compared with single-stage FTICR measurements, ion trap MS/MS provided a much lower proteome measurement coverage and dynamic range for a given analysis time and sample quantity.     

Ultratrace LC/MS proteomic analysis using 10-microm-i.d. Porous layer open tubular poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) capillary columns

In this paper, the preparation and performance of long, high-efficiency poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB), 10-microm-i.d. porous layer open tubular (PLOT) capillary columns are described. PLOT capillaries ( approximately 3% RSD column-to-column retention time), with relatively high permeability, were prepared by in-situ polymerization. Relatively high loading capacities, approximately 100 fmol for angiotensin I and approximately 50 fmol for insulin, were obtained with a 4.2 m x 10-microm-i.d. PLOT column. Low detection levels (attomole to sub-attomole) were achieved when the column was coupled on-line with a linear ion trap MS (LTQ). Analysis of human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a large transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor with heterogeneous phosphorylation and glycosylation structures, was obtained at the 25 fmol level. The PLOT column yielded a peak capacity of approximately 400 for the separation of a complex tryptic digest mixture when the sample preparation included a 50-microm-i.d. PS-DVB monolithic precolumn and ESI-MS detection. As an example of the power of the column, 3046 unique peptides covering 566 distinct Methanosarcina acetivorans proteins were identified from a 50 ng in-gel tryptic digest sample combining five cuts in a single LC/MS/MS analysis using the LTQ. The results demonstrate the potential of the PLOT column for high-resolution LC/MS at the ultratrace level.     

Hydrophilic affinity isolation and MALDI multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry of glycopeptides for glycoproteomics

In glycoproteomics, key structural issues, protein identification, locations of glycosylation sites, and evaluation of the glycosylation site microheterogeneity should be easily evaluated in a large number of glycoproteins, while mass spectrometry (MS) provides substantial information about individual purified glycoproteins. Considering that structural issues are elucidated by studying glycopeptides and that the tandem MS of a tryptic peptide composed of several amino acid residues is enough for protein identification, construction of an MS-based method handling tryptic glycopeptides would be of considerable benefit in research. To this end, a simple and efficient method, utilizing hydrophilic binding of carbohydrate matrixes such as cellulose and Sepharose to oligosaccharides, was successfully applied to the isolation of tryptic glycopeptides. Both peptide and oligosaccharide structures were elucidated by multiple-stage tandem MS (MS(n)) of the ions generated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), as follows. The MALDI ion trap mass spectrum of a tryptic glycopeptide mixture from N-linked glycoproteins was composed of the [M + H]+ ions of component glycopeptides. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the glycopeptide [M + H]+ ion generated saccharide-spaced peaks, with an interval of, for example, 146, 162, and 203 Da, and their fragment ions corresponding to the peptide and peptide + N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) species in the MS2 spectrum. The saccharide-spaced ladder served to outline oligosaccharide structures, which were then selected as precursors for subsequent MS(n) analyses. The peptide or peptide + GlcNAc ions in the MS2 spectrum or the corresponding ions abundant in the MS1 spectrum were subjected to CID for determination of peptide sequences, to identify proteins and their glycosylation sites. The strategy, isolation of glycopeptides followed by MS(n) analysis, efficiently characterized the structures of beta2-glycoprotein I with four N-glycosylation sites and was applied to an analysis of total serum glycoproteins.     

Characterization of underivatized lipid biomarkers from microorganisms with pyrolysis short-column gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry

A microvolume Curie-point pyrolysis short-column (5 m) gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) procedure was developed for the characterization of various lipid moieties in microorganisms. High linear flow rates (approximately 175 cm/s) characterized the GC conditions in order to effect an efficient chromatographic transfer and elution of the underivatized diglycerides and monoglycerides, and small modifications were necessary to the ion trap MS system in order for it to accommodate the relatively high gas load. During a typical analysis run anhydrodiacylglycerides eluted within a 5-6-min time frame. Gram-positive bacilli and Gram-negative species were differentiated from each other by the pyrolysis patterns of their lipid components. In spite of the complexity of the analyte, a straightforward visual analysis was achieved with the aid of simple computerized data display procedures. These procedures included examination of (1) total ion current (TIC) profiles of the lipid region of the reconstructed chromatogram, (2) the integrated mass spectrum of this region, (3) selected reconstructed ion chromatograms (RICs), (4) RIC intensity distributions, and (5) corresponding mass spectra. An appealing aspect of the lipid data reduction procedure is that most of it can be accomplished visually without requiring computerized pattern recognition techniques.     

Automated identification of amino acid sequence variations in proteins by HPLC/microspray tandem mass spectrometry

Amino acid sequence variations resulting from single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified using a novel mass spectrometric method. This method obtains 99+% protein sequence coverage for human hemoglobin in a single LC-microspray tandem mass spectrometry (microLC-MS/MS) experiment. Tandem mass spectrometry data was analyzed using a modified version of the computer program SEQUEST to identify the sequence variations. Conditions of sample preparation, chromatographic separation, and data collection were optimized to correctly identify amino acid changes in six variants of human hemoglobin (Hb C, Hb E, Hb D-Los Angeles, Hb G-Philadelphia, Hb Hope, and Hb S). Hemoglobin proteins were isolated and purified, dehemed, (S)-carboxyami-domethylated, and then subjected to a combination proteolytic digestion to obtain a complex peptide mixture with multiple overlaps in sequence. Reversed-phase chromatographic separation of peptides was achieved on-line with MS utilizing a robust fritless microelectrospray interface. Tandem mass spectrometry was performed on an ion trap mass spectrometer using automated data-dependent MS/MS procedures. Tandem mass spectra were collected from the five most abundant ions in each scan using dynamic and isotopic exclusion to minimize redundancy. The spectra were analyzed by a version of the SEQUEST algorithm modified to identify amino acid substations resulting from SNPs.     

Isolation and identification of sialylated glycopeptides from bovine alpha1-acid glycoprotein by off-line capillary electrophoresis MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Sialylated glycopeptides contained in liquid chromatographic fractions of bovine alpha1-glycoprotein tryptic digests were isolated from asialo peptides using capillary electrophoresis (CE). CE effluents were deposited directly onto a metallic target and analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. This method allowed the characterization of four N-glycosylation sites in the glycoprotein, and each site was observed as a set of sialylated peptide glycoforms. Tandem mass spectrometry was used to confirm peptide sequences and glycan content in glycoforms. The CE method developed for this study resulted in a very clear separation of the sialylated from the asialo content of glycoprotein digests and proved very useful in the determination of the nature and location of sialylated glycans along the protein chain. This article is the first report describing the use of on-target CE fraction collection using a MALDI removable sample concentrator.     

Automated 20 kpsi RPLC-MS and MS/MS with chromatographic peak capacities of 1000-1500 and capabilities in proteomics and metabolomics

Proteomics analysis based-on reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is widely practiced; however, variations providing cutting-edge RPLC performance have generally not been adopted even though their benefits are well established. Here, we describe an automated format 20 kpsi RPLC system for proteomics and metabolomics that includes on-line coupling of micro-solid phase extraction for sample loading and allows electrospray ionization emitters to be readily replaced. The system uses 50 microm i.d. x 40-200 cm fused-silica capillaries packed with 1.4-3-microm porous C18-bonded silica particles to obtain chromatographic peak capacities of 1000-1500 for complex peptide and metabolite mixtures. This separation quality provided high-confidence identifications of >12 000 different tryptic peptides from >2000 distinct Shewanella oneidensis proteins (approximately 40% of the proteins predicted for the S. oneidensis proteome) in a single 12-h ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis. The protein identification reproducibility approached 90% between replicate experiments. The average protein MS/MS identification rate exceeded 10 proteins/min, and 1207 proteins were identified in 120 min through assignment of 5944 different peptides. The proteomic analysis dynamic range of the 20 kpsi RPLC-ion trap MS/MS was approximately 10(6) based on analyses of a human blood plasma sample, for which 835 distinct proteins were identified with high confidence in a single 12-h run. A single run of the 20 kpsi RPLC-accurate mass MS detected >5000 different compounds from a metabolomics sample.     

GlycoPep DB: a tool for glycopeptide analysis using a "Smart Search"

Mass spectrometry is emerging as a versatile analytical tool for profiling glycan and glycopeptide structures. While the interpretation of MS data remains a challenging and difficult task, substantial efforts have been made to develop informatics tools to alleviate MS data interpretation. Here, we present a web-based tool, GlycoPep DB, designed to facilitate compositional assignment for glycopeptides by comparing experimentally measured masses to all calculated glycopeptide masses from a carbohydrate database with N-linked glycans. GlycoPep DB is an advance over current tools to assign N-linked glycans because it uses a concept of "smart searching", where only biologically relevant carbohydrate compositions are searched, when matching carbohydrate compositions with the MS data making glycopeptide compositional assignment more efficient. This is in contrast to currently used tools, where many implausible glycan structures are present in the search output, but fewer biologically relevant glycan motifs are predicted. The utility of GlycoPep DB is illustrated in the analysis of glycopeptides derived from a proteolytic digest of follicle stimulating hormone.