Modulation of Phosphopeptide Fragmentation via Dual Spray Ion/Ion Reactions Using a Sulfonate-Incorporating Reagent

Anal Chem. 2016 Aug 16;88(16):8158-65. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b01901. Epub 2016 Aug 8.

Abstract

The labile nature of phosphoryl groups has presented a long-standing challenge for the characterization of protein phosphorylation via conventional mass spectrometry-based bottom-up proteomics methods. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) causes preferential cleavage of the phospho-ester bond of peptides, particularly under conditions of low proton mobility, and results in the suppression of sequence-informative fragmentation that often prohibits phosphosite determination. In the present study, the fragmentation patterns of phosphopeptides are improved through ion/ion-mediated peptide derivatization with 4-formyl-1,3-benezenedisulfonic acid (FBDSA) anions using a dual spray reactor. This approach exploits the strong electrostatic interactions between the sulfonate moieties of FBDSA and basic sites to facilitate gas-phase bioconjugation and to reduce charge sequestration and increase the yield of phosphate-retaining sequence ions upon CID. Moreover, comparative CID fragmentation analysis between unmodified phosphopeptides and those modified online with FBDSA or in solution via carbamylation and 4-sulfophenyl isothiocyanate (SPITC) provided evidence for sulfonate interference with charge-directed mechanisms that result in preferential phosphate elimination. Our results indicate the prominence of charge-directed neighboring group participation reactions involved in phosphate neutral loss, and the implementation of ion/ion reactions in a dual spray reactor setup provides a means to disrupt the interactions by competing hydrogen-bonding interactions between sulfonate groups and the side chains of basic residues.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Anions / chemistry
  • Benzenesulfonates / chemistry*
  • Isothiocyanates / chemistry
  • Phosphopeptides / analysis*
  • Phosphopeptides / chemistry
  • Schiff Bases / chemistry
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization*
  • Static Electricity

Substances

  • Anions
  • Benzenesulfonates
  • Isothiocyanates
  • Phosphopeptides
  • Schiff Bases
  • 4-isothiocyanatobenzenesulfonate
  • benzene 1,3-disulfonate