Measurement of Individual Ions Sharply Increases the Resolution of Orbitrap Mass Spectra of Proteins

Anal Chem. 2019 Feb 19;91(4):2776-2783. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04519. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Abstract

It is well-known that with Orbitrap-based Fourier-transform-mass-spectrometry (FT-MS) analysis, longer-time-domain signals are needed to better resolve species of interest. Unfortunately, increasing the signal-acquisition period comes at the expense of increasing ion decay, which lowers signal-to-noise ratios and ultimately limits resolution. This is especially problematic for intact proteins, including antibodies, which demonstrate rapid decay because of their larger collisional cross-sections, and result in more frequent collisions with background gas molecules. Provided here is a method that utilizes numerous low-ion-count spectra and single-ion processing to reconstruct a conventional m/ z spectrum. This technique has been applied to proteins varying in molecular weight from 8 to 150 kDa, with a resolving power of 677 000 achieved for transients of carbonic anhydrase (29 kDa) with a duration of only ∼250 ms. A resolution improvement ranging from 10- to 20-fold was observed for all proteins, providing isotopic resolution where none was previously present.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carbonic Anhydrases / analysis
  • Fourier Analysis
  • Humans
  • Ions / analysis
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods*
  • Myoglobin / analysis
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / analysis
  • Proteins / analysis*
  • Transferrin / analysis
  • Ubiquitin / analysis

Substances

  • Ions
  • Myoglobin
  • Proteins
  • Transferrin
  • Ubiquitin
  • Carbonic Anhydrases
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase