Impact of Phosphorylation on the Mass Spectrometry Quantification of Intact Phosphoproteins

Anal Chem. 2018 Apr 17;90(8):4935-4939. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b05246. Epub 2018 Mar 26.

Abstract

Protein phosphorylation is a ubiquitous and critical post-translational modification (PTM) involved in numerous cellular processes. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics has emerged as the preferred technology for protein identification, characterization, and quantification. Whereas ionization/detection efficiency of peptides in electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS are markedly influenced by the presence of phosphorylation, the physicochemical properties of intact proteins are assumed not to vary significantly due to the relatively smaller modification on large intact proteins. Thus, the ionization/detection efficiency of intact phosphoprotein is hypothesized not to alter appreciably for subsequent MS quantification. However, this hypothesis has never been rigorously tested. Herein, we systematically investigated the impact of phosphorylation on ESI-MS quantification of mono- and multiply phosphorylated proteins. We verified that a single phosphorylation did not appreciably affect the ESI-MS quantification of phosphoproteins as demonstrated in the enigma homolog isoform 2 (28 kDa) with monophosphorylation. Moreover, different ionization and desolvation parameters did not impact phosphoprotein quantification. In contrast to monophosphorylation, multiphosphorylation noticeably affected ESI-MS quantification of phosphoproteins likely due to differential ionization/detection efficiency between unphosphorylated and phosphorylated proteoforms as shown in the pentakis-phosphorylated β-casein (24 kDa).

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / analysis
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / metabolism
  • Caseins / analysis
  • Caseins / metabolism
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Humans
  • LIM Domain Proteins / analysis
  • LIM Domain Proteins / metabolism
  • Phosphopeptides / analysis
  • Phosphoproteins / analysis*
  • Phosphoproteins / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation
  • Proteomics
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization*

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Caseins
  • LIM Domain Proteins
  • PDLIM5 protein, human
  • Phosphopeptides
  • Phosphoproteins