Discovery and Visualization of Uncharacterized Drug-Protein Adducts Using Mass Spectrometry

Anal Chem. 2022 Mar 1;94(8):3501-3509. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c04101. Epub 2022 Feb 20.

Abstract

Drugs are often metabolized to reactive intermediates that form protein adducts. Adducts can inhibit protein activity, elicit immune responses, and cause life-threatening adverse drug reactions. The masses of reactive metabolites are frequently unknown, rendering traditional mass spectrometry-based proteomics approaches incapable of adduct identification. Here, we present Magnum, an open-mass search algorithm optimized for adduct identification, and Limelight, a web-based data processing package for analysis and visualization of data from all existing algorithms. Limelight incorporates tools for sample comparisons and xenobiotic-adduct discovery. We validate our tools with three drug/protein combinations and apply our label-free workflow to identify novel xenobiotic-protein adducts in CYP3A4. Our new methods and software enable accurate identification of xenobiotic-protein adducts with no prior knowledge of adduct masses or protein targets. Magnum outperforms existing label-free tools in xenobiotic-protein adduct discovery, while Limelight fulfills a major need in the rapidly developing field of open-mass searching, which until now lacked comprehensive data visualization tools.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • DNA Adducts
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • Proteins* / analysis
  • Proteomics* / methods
  • Software

Substances

  • DNA Adducts
  • Proteins