Assignment of disulfide-linked peptides using automatic a1 ion recognition

Anal Chem. 2008 Dec 1;80(23):9135-40. doi: 10.1021/ac8013725.

Abstract

We present a novel approach for the assignment of peptides containing disulfide linkages. Dimethyl labeling is introduced to generate labeled peptides which exhibit enhanced a1 ion signals during MS/MS fragmentation. For disulfide-linked peptides, multiple a1 ions can be observed due to multiple N-termini. This distinct feature allows sieving out the disulfide-linked peptides; meanwhile, the N-terminal amino acids can be identified. With such information, the number of possible peptide combinations involved in a disulfide bond dramatically narrows down. Furthermore, we developed a computational algorithm to perform target a1 ion screening followed by molecular weight matching of cysteine-containing peptides with specific amino acids at the N-termini. Once the protein sequence and the peak list from a LC-MS/MS survey scan of labeled peptides are imported, the identities of disulfide-linked peptides can be readily obtained. The presented approach is simple and straightforward, offering a valuable tool for protein structural characterization.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / analysis*
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / chemistry
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / chemistry
  • Disulfides / analysis*
  • Disulfides / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Lectins, C-Type / analysis*
  • Lectins, C-Type / chemistry
  • Methylation
  • Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins
  • Peptides / analysis*
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / analysis
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / economics
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods*

Substances

  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Disulfides
  • Lectins, C-Type
  • Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins
  • Peptides
  • REG3A protein, human
  • Recombinant Proteins