Structural characterization of chemically derivatized oligosaccharides by nanoflow electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Oligosaccharides released from several glycoproteins were derivatized with either 4-aminobenzoic acid 2-(diethylamino)ethyl ester (ABDEAE) (Yoshino, K.; et al. Anal. Chem. 1995, 67, 4028-4031) or 2-aminopyridine. The resulting derivatives were analyzed on a nanoflow electrospray ionization (ESI) quadrupole-inlet time-of-flight mass spectrometer using the low-energy collision-induced dissociation technique. In the MS/MS spectra, the oxonium (b or internal series) and y series ions, which are derived from the multiply charged precursor ions, were predominant and were used for the structural readout. Some oxonium ions that were observed in the low-mass region, but that were not found in the PSD analyses (Mo, W.; et al. Anal. Chem. 1998, 70, 4520-4526), rendered a more detailed structural insight. The oxonium ions at m/z 512.2, which are derived from the fucosylated oligosaccharides of immunoglobulin Y and thyroglobulin, were observed, suggesting that fucosylation had occurred proximal to the outer nonreducing terminus. In addition, the data herein show that structural elucidation can be routinely achieved at a low sample concentration. For the case of ABDEAE derivatives, this can be achieved at the 50 fmol/microL level and with the actual sample consumption at the attomole level using nanoflow ESI MS/MS.     

A sheathless nanoflow electrospray interface for on-line capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry

A novel, rugged capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization (CE-ESI) interface where the separation column, an electrical porous junction, and the spray tip are integrated on a single piece of a fused-silica capillary is described. ESI is accomplished by applying an electrical potential through an easily prepared porous junction across a 3-4-mm length of fused silica. A stable electrospray is produced at nanoflow rates generated in the capillary by electrophoretic and electroosmotic forces. The interface is particularly well suited for the detection of low-femtomole levels of proteins and peptides. The ruggedness of this interface was evident by the continuous operation of the same column for over a 2-week period with no detectable deterioration in separation or electrospray performance. The new interface was used for the LC-ESI-MS separation and analysis of peptides and proteins. Injection of 25 fmol of [Glu1]-fibrinopeptide B using the new device produced a CE-ESI-MS electropherogram with a signal-to-noise ratio of over 100 for this peptide.     

Detection of plasmid insertion in Escherichia coli by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

A proteomics approach is reported for the rapid recognition of genetically modified Escherichia coli bacteria. The approach targets a class of proteins required for genetic manipulation of bacteria with plasmids and alleviates the need to construct extensive libraries of toxins and other predicted payload proteins. Detection was performed using MALDI-TOF MS to monitor peptide products after an on-probe enzymatic digestion. Digestion products were identified by searching their postsource decay spectra using MASCOT. A 5 min digestion time was required to observe peptide products from the genetic insert as well as the host bacterium. This proteomics approach enables rapid detection of genetic manipulation along with information about the host organism, both of which have forensic applications.     

Probing the stoichiometry and oxidation states of metal centers in iron-sulfur proteins using electrospray FTICR mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry is used to determine the stoichiometry and oxidation states of the metal centers in several iron-sulfur proteins. Samples are introduced into the ESI source under nondenaturing conditions in order to observe intact metal-containing protein ions. The stoichiometry and oxidation state of the metal or metal-sulfur cluster in the protein ion can be derived from the mass spectrum. Mononuclear metal-containing proteins and [4Fe-4S] centers are very stable and yield the molecular ion with little or no fragmentation. Proteins that contain [2Fe-2S] clusters are less stable and yield loss of one or two sulfur atoms from the molecular species, although the molecular ion is more abundant than the fragment peaks. [3Fe-4S]-containing proteins are the least stable of the species investigated, yielding abundant peaks corresponding to the loss of one to four sulfur atoms in addition to a peak representing the molecular ion. Isotope labeling experiments show that the sulfur loss originates from the [3Fe-4S] center. Negative ion mode mass spectra were obtained and found to produce much more stable [3Fe-4S]-containing ions than obtained in positive ion mode. ESI analysis of the same proteins under denaturing conditions yields mass spectra of the apo form of the proteins. Disulfide bonds are observed in the apoprotein mass spectra that are not present in the holoprotein. These result from oxidative coupling of the cysteinyl sulfur atoms that are responsible for binding the metal center. In addition, inorganic sulfide is found to incorporate itself into the apoprotein by forming sulfur bridges between cysteine residues.     

Characterization of polyphosphates by electrospray mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was applied for the characterization of inorganic polyphosphates [orthophosphate, pyrophosphate, tripolyphosphate, trimetaphosphate, and tetrapolyphosphatel. The high selectivity of ESI-MS allows the detection of different polyphosphate species without preseparation by ion chromatography or capillary electrophoresis. Furthermore, ESI-MS does not require the incorporation of UV-absorbing chromophores into the analytical method for the detection of phosphates, unlike conventional UV-chromatographic methods. Limits of detection by ESI-MS were estimated to range from approximately 1 to 10 ng/mL. The quantification of polyphosphate samples as single-component and multicomponent mixtures was investigated. Linear signal response for single-component samples ranged from the limit of detection to approximately 10 microg/mL Quantification of polyphosphate in streamwater is demonstrated using the standard addition method. The effect of multi-polyphosphate components and salts on signal response was also studied. For concentrations less than 2.0 microg/mL, signal response from a tetrapolyphosphate sample was comparable to those obtained from tetrapolyphosphate-tripolyphosphate mixtures. Signal response obtained from tetrapolyphosphate in the presence of tripolyphosphate or NH4NO3 at higher concentrations (approximately 50 microg/mL and 35 microg/mL, respectively) was significantly lower relative to single-component standards (approximately 40%-70%).     

Compositional analysis of glycosaminoglycans by electrospray mass spectrometry

The purpose of this work is to analyze glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) directly from complex mixtures without the need to purify individual components. Novel conditions for negative ion electrospray MS of chondroitin sulfate (CS) oligosaccharides are described in which sodium adduction and fragmentation are avoided. Differentiation between positional sulfation isomers is demonstrated for CS disaccharides, and a selected reaction monitoring scheme is used to quantify sulfation isomers in disaccharides liberated from decorin and biglycan. A size exclusion chromatography LC/MS method is shown to be effective for compositional analysis of longer CS oligosaccharides. The SEC step serves to simplify the composition of GAGs entering the mass spectrometer at any time, thus allowing the masses of the constituent molecules to be extracted. Mass spectrometric detection produces far more information than conventional UV or fluorescent detectors and allows the monosaccharide composition of individual components to be determined.     

Determination of dissolved metal species by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The distribution of metal species in solution was determined using flow injection electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Complexes formed by selected metal ions with added organic ligands in 50:50 water/acetonitrile and 50:50 water/methanol under acidic, neutral, and basic conditions were detected using electrospray ionization conditions optimized to best represent solution-phase interactions. Metal species containing acetate, nitrate, and solvent molecules predominated in acidic solution but became less abundant at higher pH. Interactions between metal ions and added organic ligands became more selective with increasing pH, showing the expected preference of hard and soft ligands for metal ions of the corresponding type. Species distributions also tended toward larger complexes as pH increased. Overall ion yield was greater for aqueous acetonitrile than for aqueous methanol solutions; however, reduction of copper(II) in aqueous acetonitrile resulted in the detection of copper(I) complexes for certain ligands. Experimental results for copper(II) and 8-hydroxyquinoline in 50:50 water/methanol showed good agreement with aqueous speciation predicted using the thermodynamic equilibrium model MINEQL. Detection of neutral complexes was achieved by protonation, deprotonation, or electrochemical oxidation during electrospray.     

Investigation of quadruplex oligonucleotide-drug interactions by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Selectivity, binding stoichiometry, and mode of binding of Tel01, distamycin A, and diethylthiocarbocyanine iodide (DTC) to the parallel stranded G4-quadruplex [d(T2G5T)]4 were investigated by ESI-MS. The first drug/quadruplex complexes observed by ESI-MS are described. Tel01, distamycin A, and DTC all form complexes with quadruplex DNA, but only Tel01 is completely selective for quadruplex versus duplex oligonucleotide under the conditions employed. Previous solution determinations of the binding mode of Tel01 and distamycin A to quadruplex oligonucleotides indicate that Tel01 interacts through end-stacking with guanine tetrads of quadruplex DNA, while distamycin A interacts by binding to quadruplex grooves. When these two different drug/quadruplex complexes are subjected to collisionally activated dissociation in a mass spectrometer, the observed fragmentation patterns are distinct. Tel01/quadruplex complexes undergo facile loss of drug and dissociation to single-strand oligonucleotide ions, while distamycin/quadruplex complexes fragment into single-strand oligonucleotide ions in which the drug molecule is retained. Dissociation patterns for DTC/quadruplex complexes are similar to those of distamycin; therefore, it is concluded that DTC interacts with [d(T2G5T)]4 through groove-binding. These ESI-MS results are applicable to both the identification and characterization of G-quadruplex interactive agents and may also be useful in probing unusual DNA structures.     

Analytical characterization of the electrospray ion source in the nanoflow regime

A detailed characterization of a conventional low-flow electrospray ionization (ESI) source for mass spectrometry (MS) using solution compositions typical of reversed-phase liquid chromatography is reported. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the pulsating regime consistently provided better ESI-MS performance than the cone-jet regime for the interface and experimental conditions studied. This observation is supported by additional measurements showing that a conventional heated capillary interface affords more efficient sampling and transmission for the charged aerosol generated by a pulsating electrospray. The pulsating electrospray provided relatively constant MS signal intensities over a wide range of voltages, while the signal decreased slightly with increasing voltage for the cone-jet electrospray. The MS signal also decreased with increasing emitter-interface distance for both pulsating and cone-jet electrosprays due to the expansion of the charged aerosol plume. At flow rates below 100 nL/min, the MS signal increased with increasing flow rate due to increased number of gas-phase ions produced. At flow rates greater than 100 nL/min, the signal reached a plateau due to decreasing ionization efficiency at larger flow rates. These results suggest approaches for improving MS interface performance for low-flow (nano- to micro-) electrosprays.     

Evaluation of opiate separation by high-resolution electrospray ionization-ion mobility spectrometry/mass spectrometry

The separation of opiates and the primary metabolites was evaluated with ESI-IMS/MS. Seven opiate molecules were analyzed, and spectra were shown for each compound. The IMS separation of two isomers (morphine and norcodeine) was shown with baseline separation. Differences in the mobilities were found for the nonacetylated, monoacetylated, and biacetylated compounds. In this study, two primary findings are reported. First, IMS can easily separate metabolic isomers, and second, the two-dimensional separation capability of IMS/MS can be employed to confidently identify and separate both the opiates and metabolites. Although previous IMS studies have shown the separation of isomers, this is the first example to show the capability of IMS to separate metabolic isomers (within 70 s), a significant advantage in high-throughput screening for pharmacokinetic studies. Second, the monoacetylated and biacetylated compounds were found to form more compact ions for the sodium adducts in comparison to the protonated molecular ions. On the basis of the mobilities, information on structures and conformation can be deduced when sodium and protonated ions are compared.     

Oxidation artifacts in the electrospray mass spectrometry of Abeta Peptide

Gradual corrosion of stainless steel electrospray emitters under conditions of normal use generates surface irregularities that can promote electrical discharge. The increased emission current affects the electrochemical reactions associated with the spray process. When sampling the peptide Abeta(1-40), this is manifest by oxidation of methionine at position 35 to methionine sulfoxide. The resultant mass shift and reduced sensitivity can adversely affect H/D exchange experiments. These effects can be avoided by adding a redox buffer or (preferably) by repolishing the emitter, especially to a rounded geometry.     

Amino acid analysis by capillary electrophoresis electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A method for the determination of underivatized amino acids based on capillary electrophoresis coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS) is described. To analyze free amino acids simultaneously a low acidic pH condition was used to confer positive charge on whole amino acids. The choice of the electrolyte and its concentration influenced resolution and peak shape of the amino acids, and 1 M formic acid was selected as the optimal electrolyte. Meanwhile, the sheath liquid composition had a significant effect on sensitivity and the highest sensitivity was obtained when 5 mM ammonium acetate in 50% (v/v) methanol-water was used. Protonated amino acids were roughly separated by CE and selectively detected by a quadrupole mass spectrometer with a sheath flow electrospray ionization interface. Under the optimized conditions, 19 free amino acids normally found in proteins and several physiological amino acids were well determined in less than 17 min. The detection limits for basic amino acids were between 0.3 and 1.1 mumol/L and for acidic and low molecular weight amino acids were less than 6.0 mumol/L with pressure injection of 50 mbar for 3 s (3 nL) at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. This method is simple, rapid, and selective compared with conventional techniques and could be readily applied to the analysis of free amino acids in soy sauce.     

Corona discharge in charge reduction electrospray mass spectrometry

Corona discharge is applied to charge reduction electrospray mass spectrometry for the analysis of complex mixtures of biological molecules. Recent work has described a method of charge reduction (reducing the charge states of analyte ions generated by the electrospray process) employing the radioactive isotope 210Po to produce neutralizing species. A variation to this approach is presented, in which charge neutralization is mediated by ions produced in a corona discharge. Varying the corona discharge voltage controls the current and the degree of charge reduction, providing predominantly singly charged ions that are detected by a commercial electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometer. This technique provides charge reduction for the simplification of ESI spectra, without need for any radioactive material.     

Estimates of protein surface areas in solution by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The extent of multiple charging of protein ions in electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra depends on the solvent-exposed surface area, but it may also be influenced by a variety of other extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Gas-phase ion chemistry (charge-transfer and charge-partitioning reactions) appears to be the major extrinsic factor influencing the extent of protonation as detected by ESI MS. In this work, we demonstrate that under carefully controlled conditions, which limit the occurrence of the charge-transfer reactions in the gas phase, charge-state distributions of protein ions can be used to assess the solvent-exposed surface area in solution. A set of proteins ranging from 5-kDa insulin to 500-kDa ferritin shows a clear correlation between the average charge in ESI mass spectra acquired under native conditions and their surface areas calculated based on the available crystal structures. An increase of the extent of charge-transfer reactions in the ESI interface results in a noticeable decrease of the average charge of protein ions across the entire range of tested proteins, while the charge-surface correlation is maintained. On the other hand, the intrinsic factors (e.g., a limited number of basic residues) do not appear to play a significant role in determining the protein ion charge. Based on these results, it is now possible to obtain estimates of the surface areas of proteins and protein complexes, for which crystal structures are not available. We also demonstrate how the ESI MS measurements can be used to characterize protein-protein interaction in solution by providing quantitative information on the subunit interfaces formed in protein associations.     

Solvation energy and gas-phase stability influences on alkali metal cluster ion formation in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The ability to observe abundant gas-phase metal cluster ions in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is highly dependent on experimental conditions. Alkali halides (MX) and other alkali metal salts were used to investigate the formation of cluster ions in ESI-MS. All compounds were found to give cluster ions of the form (M(n)(+1)X(n))(+) and (M(n)X(n+1))(-), with only two alkali salts yielding doubly charged cluster ions. In homologous alkali halide series, the relative abundances of cluster ions increased with increasing size of either the cation (positive ion mode) or the anion (negative ion mode). Calculations using an electrostatic model show that the gas-phase stability of cluster ions is greater for smaller cations or anions when a fixed counterion is employed. This stability calculation goes in a direction just opposite to the trend in cluster ion abundances observed in ESI-MS. Studies of equimolar mixtures consisting of two alkali halides reveal two distinct trends. When the equimolar mixture was composed of differing ions that participate in the droplet charge excess with the same counterion, the less solvated ions were found to form more abundant cluster ions. When the ions participating in the charge excess were fixed, the preferred counterion in observed clusters was the one that is more solvated in solution and forms more stable clusters in the gas phase. These observations can be rationalized by an extended form of the charged residue model where the weakly solvated ions that are part of the charge excess are preferentially enriched in offspring droplets during uneven fission. By contrast, transfer of a particular counterion located in the bulk of the droplets to the offspring droplets is not disfavored when this counterion is strongly solvated.     

Collisional cooling of large ions in electrospray mass spectrometry

Collisional cooling of ions in the rf-only multipole guides has become a method of choice for coupling electrospray sources to various mass analyzers. Normally parameters of such ion guides (length, pressure) provide enough thermalization and focusing for ions in a wide mass range. Noncovalent complexes, however, have more compact conformations than denatured biomolecules of similar mass and, therefore may not be transmitted efficiently through standard ion guides, as demonstrated by theoretical analysis, simulations, and experiments. Several methods of improving collisional cooling for large compact ions have been developed on a quadrupole time-of-flight instrument, which include operating the ion guides at higher pressure and trapping ions to increase the cooling time. Improved transmission of heavy ions obtained with those methods is studied in experiments with proteasome 20S, an oligomeric protein noncovalent complex with molecular weight around 692,000, and a few other compounds.     

Nonlinear signal response in electrospray mass spectrometry: implications for quantitation of arsenobetaine using stable isotope labeling by liquid chromatography and electrospray Orbitrap mass spectrometry

Isotope amount ratio measurements by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry show large systematic biases. Moreover, the signal ratio response can vary nonlinearly with respect to the amount ratio depending on the concentration of the analyte or coeluting matrix components, among other things. Since isotope dilution relies inherently on the linearity of response, accurate quantitation is then more difficult to achieve. In this study, we outline a method to eliminate the quantitation errors due to the effects of the nonlinear signal response. The proposed approach is a hybrid of the method of standard additions and isotope dilution allowing correction for nonlinear trend. As a proof of concept, determination of arsenobetaine content in fish tissue was performed using liquid chromatography coupled with a linear quadrupole ion trap (LTQ) Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The nonlinear isotope dilution method could, in principle, be applied to correct isotope ratio measurement biases in popular relative quantitation methods of biomolecules such as stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC), isotope-coded affinity tag (ICAT), or isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ).     

Characterization of N-linked oligosaccharides by electrospray and tandem mass spectrometry.

Electrospray and tandem mass spectrometry are used to characterize underivatized oligosaccharides that have been digested from asparagine side chains of glycoproteins. Oligosaccharides that contain sialic acids were detected with the best sensitivity in the negative-ion detection mode whereas those that do not contain sialic acid were detected with the best sensitivity in the positive-ion detection mode. The positive-ion abundances of oligosaccharides were greatly enhanced in electrospray mass spectra by adding 10 mM sodium acetate or ammonium acetate to the sample solvent. Tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine primary structural features of the oligosaccharides. Methodology that has been developed on branched high-mannose, hybrid, and complex carbohydrate standards was applied to a mixture of oligosaccharides that were digested with N-glycanase from the glycoprotein, ovalbumin. The composition and relative abundances of individual oligosaccharides obtained from the electrospray mass spectrum compare favorably to those obtained by anion-exchange chromatography/pulsed amperometric detection and by gel permeation chromatography of the oligosaccharides after radiolabelling the reducing end of the carbohydrates. The oligosaccharide content of ovalbumin was independently determined from the heterogeneity observed in the electrospray mass spectrum of the intact 44-kDa glycoprotein. Comparison of the oligosaccharide compositions determined before and after enzymatic digestion shows a selective digestion of high-mannose and low molecular weight oligosaccharides by N-glycanase.     

Analysis of nonderivatized neutral and sialylated oligosaccharides by electrospray mass spectrometry

An HPLC/MS method has been developed that allows rapid, direct analysis of underivatized sialylated as well as neutral oligosaccharides. The method involves the separation of oligosaccharides from salts and proteins using RP-HPLC with a formic acid/acetonitrile/water mobile phase system and on-line electrospray mass spectrometry analysis in the positive ion mode. Under the solution conditions employed, both neutral and acidic (sialylated) oligosaccharides are protonated and therefore detected. In contrast to MALDI-TOF MS, no loss of sialic acid is observed when operating in the positive ion mode. Furthermore, the capability of this method to provide quantitative estimates of the relative abundance of each oligosaccharide mass has been demonstrated using fetuin as a model compound.     

Metal complexation of thiacrown ether macrocycles by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In the present study, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is used to evaluate the metal-binding selectivities of an array of novel caged macrocycles for mercury(II), lead(II), cadmium(II), and zinc(II) ions. In homogeneous methanol/chloroform solutions as well as extractions of metals from aqueous solution by macrocycles in chloroform, it is found that the type of heteroatom (S, O, N), cavity size, and presence of other substituents influence the metal selectivities. Several of the macrocycles in this study bind mercury ion very selectively and efficiently in the presence of many other metal ions and have an avidity toward mercury that was tunable by the size and combination of heteroatoms in the macrocycle ring and the number of cage groups attached. The extraction mechanism was further investigated by determining the variation in extraction selectivity as a function of the counterions of the mercury salts.