Gas-phase separations of protein and peptide ion fragments generated by collision-induced dissociation in an ion trap

Ion mobility/time-of-flight mass spectrometry techniques have been used to examine distributions of fragment ions generated by collision-induced dissociation (CID) in a quadrupole ion trap. The mobility-based separation step prior to mass-to-charge (m/z) analysis reduces spectral congestion and provides information that complements m/z-based assignments of peaks. The approach is demonstrated by examining fragmentation patterns of insulin chain B (a 30-residue peptide), and ubiquitin (a protein containing 76 amino acids). Some fragments of ubiquitin show evidence for multiple stable conformations.