Prompt fragmentation of disulfide-linked peptides during matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry

During the analysis of an Asp-N digest of a recombinant hematopoietic growth factor by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), we observed pseudomolecular ions corresponding to reduced forms of peptides known to be present only in single disulfide linkages. Chromatographic fractionation of the peptide digest, followed by MALDI-MS and electrospray ionization (ESI) MS, confirmed that the reduced peptides were not present in the map. Fragmentation of the disulfide-linked peptides into their reduced forms occurred upon ionization from different matrices (alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid,2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, and in some instances sinapinic acid) but only after increasing the laser fluence to above threshold. Analysis of the disulfide-linked peptide fractions by ESI-MS, before and after mixing and drying with matrix, indicated that the matrix did not cause reduction. In a low-energy tandem mass spectrometric experiment with one of the cystinyl peptides, fragmentation did not occur preferentially at the disulfide bond. The pseudomolecular ions exhibited the same m/z values by MALDI-MS as their chemically reduced counterparts, indicating that they arose due to prompt fragmentation or "in-source decay" rather than "post-source decay". This finding is important for MALDI-MS analysis of peptide maps of proteins and peptide fractions with intact disulfides.