Nano-LC FTICR tandem mass spectrometry for top-down proteomics: routine baseline unit mass resolution of whole cell lysate proteins up to 72 kDa

Hyphenation of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) with separation methods: The art of compromises and the possible - A review

This review provides an overview of the online hyphenation of Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) with separation methods to date. The online coupling between separation techniques (gas and liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis) and FT-ICR MS essentially raises questions of compromise and is not look as straightforward as hyphenation with other analyzers (QTOF-MS for instance). FT-ICR MS requires time to reach its highest resolving power and accuracy in mass measurement capabilities whereas chromatographic and electrophoretic peaks are transient. In many applications, the strengths and the weaknesses of each technique are balanced by their hyphenation. Untargeted "Omics" (e.g. proteomics, metabolomics, petroleomics, …) is one of the main areas of application for FT-ICR MS hyphenated to online separation techniques because of the complexity of the sample. FT-ICR MS achieves the required high mass measurement accuracy to determine accurate molecular formulae and resolution for isobar distinction. Meanwhile separation techniques highlight isomers and reduce the ion suppression effects extending the dynamic range. Even if the implementation of FT-ICR MS hyphenated with online separation methods is a little trickier (the art of compromise), this review shows that it provides unparalleled results to the scientific community (the art of the possible), along with raising the issue of its future in the field with the relentless technological progress.

Recent advances in top-down proteome sample processing ahead of MS analysis

Top-down proteomics is emerging as a preferred approach to investigate biological systems, with objectives ranging from the detailed assessment of a single protein therapeutic, to the complete characterization of every possible protein including their modifications, which define the human proteoform. Given the controlling influence of protein modifications on their biological function, understanding how gene products manifest or respond to disease is most precisely achieved by characterization at the intact protein level. Top-down mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of proteins entails unique challenges associated with processing whole proteins while maintaining their integrity throughout the processes of extraction, enrichment, purification, and fractionation. Recent advances in each of these critical front-end preparation processes, including minimalistic workflows, have greatly expanded the capacity of MS for top-down proteome analysis. Acknowledging the many contributions in MS technology and sample processing, the present review aims to highlight the diverse strategies that have forged a pathway for top-down proteomics. We comprehensively discuss the evolution of front-end workflows that today facilitate optimal characterization of proteoform-driven biology, including a brief description of the clinical applications that have motivated these impactful contributions.

Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry for characterizing proteoforms

Proteoforms contribute functional diversity to the proteome and aberrant proteoforms levels have been implicated in biological dysfunction and disease. Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), with its ultrahigh mass-resolving power, mass accuracy, and versatile tandem MS capabilities, has empowered top-down, middle-down, and native MS-based approaches for characterizing proteoforms and their complexes in biological systems. Herein, we review the features which make FT-ICR MS uniquely suited for measuring proteoform mass with ultrahigh resolution and mass accuracy; obtaining in-depth proteoform sequence coverage with expansive tandem MS capabilities; and unambiguously identifying and localizing post-translational and noncovalent modifications. We highlight examples from our body of work in which we have quantified and comprehensively characterized proteoforms from cardiac and skeletal muscle to better understand conditions such as chronic heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and sarcopenia. Structural characterization of monoclonal antibodies and their proteoforms by FT-ICR MS and emerging applications, such as native top-down FT-ICR MS and high-throughput top-down FT-ICR MS-based proteomics at 21 T, are also covered. Historically, the information gleaned from FT-ICR MS analyses have helped provide biological insights. We predict FT-ICR MS will continue to enable the study of proteoforms of increasing size from increasingly complex endogenous mixtures and facilitate the benchmarking of sensitive and specific assays for clinical diagnostics. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Mass Spec Rev.

A Top-Down Proteomics Platform Coupling Serial Size Exclusion Chromatography and Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry (MS) based top-down proteomics provides rich information about proteoforms arising from combinatorial amino acid sequence variations and post-translational modifications (PTMs). Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MS affords ultrahigh resolving power and provides high-accuracy mass measurements, presenting a powerful tool for top-down MS characterization of proteoforms. However, the detection and characterization of large proteins from complex mixtures remain challenging due to the exponential decrease in S: N with increasing molecular weight (MW) and coeluting low-MW proteins; thus, size-based fractionation of complex protein mixtures prior to MS analysis is necessary. Here, we directly combine MS-compatible serial size exclusion chromatography (sSEC) fractionation with 12 T FT-ICR MS for targeted top-down characterization of proteins from complex mixtures extracted from human and swine heart tissue. Benefiting from the ultrahigh resolving power of FT-ICR, we isotopically resolved 31 distinct proteoforms (30-50 kDa) simultaneously in a single mass spectrum within a 100 m/ z window. Notably, within a 5 m/ z window, we obtained baseline isotopic resolution for 6 distinct large proteoforms (30-50 kDa). The ultrahigh resolving power of FT-ICR MS combined with sSEC fractionation enabled targeted top-down analysis of large proteoforms (>30 kDa) from the human heart proteome without extensive chromatographic separation or protein purification. Further separation of proteoforms inside the mass spectrometer (in-MS) allowed for isolation of individual proteoforms and targeted electron capture dissociation (ECD), yielding high sequence coverage. sSEC/FT-ICR ECD facilitated the identification and sequence characterization of important metabolic enzymes. This platform, which facilitates deep interrogation of proteoform primary structure, is highly tunable, allows for adjustment of MS and MS/MS parameters in real time, and can be utilized for a variety of complex protein mixtures.

Top-Down Protein Identification using a Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer and Data Independent Acquisition

Top-down mass spectrometry and direct dissociation of gas phase intact proteins have been demonstrated to be a powerful platform for identifying proteins from complex mixtures and for elucidating post-translational modifications (PTMs). Fragmentation of proteins in the atmospheric pressure/vacuum interface of the electrospray ionization mass spectrometer is an effective dissociation technique that can be utilized for on-line HPLC top-down analysis. We demonstrate the capability to perform intact protein identifications in a single-stage time-of- flight (TOF) mass spectrometer in a data independent (DIA) acquisition fashion by rapidly switching the in-source dissociation (ISD) energy during protein elution from a liquid chromatography (LC) column. The intact protein and product ion masses obtained at low and high ISD energies, respectively, were measured using a TOF mass analyzer. By coupling on-line protein separations to dissociation in the atmospheric pressure/vacuum interface region of the mass spectrometer, we identified proteins in simple complexity mixtures, including subunits from the human 20S proteasome complex, and PTMs such as phosphorylation and N-terminal acetylation events. This proof-of-principle study demonstrates that a data-independent pseudo- MS/MS method could be a relatively in-expensive platform for top-down MS.

The crucial role of multiomic approach in cancer research and clinically relevant outcomes

Cancer with heavily economic and social burden is the hot point in the field of medical research. Some remarkable achievements have been made; however, the exact mechanisms of tumor initiation and development remain unclear. Cancer is a complex, whole-body disease that involves multiple abnormalities in the levels of DNA, RNA, protein, metabolite and medical imaging. Biological omics including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and radiomics aims to systematically understand carcinogenesis in different biological levels, which is driving the shift of cancer research paradigm from single parameter model to multi-parameter systematical model. The rapid development of various omics technologies is driving one to conveniently get multi-omics data, which accelerates predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (PPPM) practice allowing prediction of response with substantially increased accuracy, stratification of particular patients and eventual personalization of medicine. This review article describes the methodology, advances, and clinically relevant outcomes of different "omics" technologies in cancer research, and especially emphasizes the importance and scientific merit of integrating multi-omics in cancer research and clinically relevant outcomes.

Top-down analysis of immunoglobulin G isotypes 1 and 2 with electron transfer dissociation on a high-field Orbitrap mass spectrometer

The increasing importance of immunoglobulins G (IgGs) as biotherapeutics calls for improved structural characterization methods designed for these large (~150kDa) macromolecules. Analysis workflows have to be rapid, robust, and require minimal sample preparation. In a previous work we showed the potential of Orbitrap Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) combined with electron transfer dissociation (ETD) for the top-down investigation of an intact IgG1, resulting in ~30% sequence coverage. Here, we describe a top-down analysis of two IgGs1 (adalimumab and trastuzumab) and one IgG2 (panitumumab) performed with ETD on a mass spectrometer equipped with a high-field Orbitrap mass analyzer. For the IgGs1, sequence coverage comparable to the previous results was achieved in a two-fold reduced number of summed transients, which corresponds, taken together with the significantly increased spectra acquisition rate, to ~six-fold improvement in analysis time. Furthermore, we studied the influence of ion-ion interaction times on ETD product ions for IgGs1, and the differences in fragmentation behavior between IgGs1 and IgG2, which present structural differences. Overall, these results reinforce the hypothesis that gas phase dissociation using both energy threshold-based and radical-driven ion activations is directed to specific regions of the polypeptide chains mostly by the location of disulfide bonds.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Compared with our previous report, the results presented herein demonstrate the power of technological advances of the next generation Orbitrap™ platform, including the use of a high-field compact (i.e., D20) Orbitrap mass analyzer, and a dedicated manipulation strategy for large protein ions (via their trapping in the HCD collision cell along with reduction of the pressure in the cell). Notably, these important developments became recently commercially available in the top-end Orbitrap platforms under the name of "Protein Mode". Furthermore, we continued exploring the advantages offered by the summation (averaging) of transients (time-domain data) for improving the signal-to-noise ratio of top-down mass spectra. Finally, for the first time we report the application of the hybrid ion activation technique that combines electron transfer dissociation and higher energy collisional dissociation, known as EThcD, on intact monoclonal antibodies. Under these specific instrumental parameters, EThcD produces a partially complementary fragmentation pattern compared to ETD, increasing the overall sequence coverage especially at the protein termini.

Mass spectrometric studies on the interaction of cisplatin and insulin

The interaction of antitumor drug, cisplatin (cis-[PtCl2(NH3)2], CDDP) with insulin from porcine pancreas has been investigated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and high resolution hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALIDI-TOF/TOF-MS and ESI-IT/TOF MS). The MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS results demonstrated that the presence of cisplatin complex resulted in the reduction of the disulfide bond in porcine pancreas after the incubations of the two substances were performed in vitro. It indicated that the presence of cisplatin would destroy the native configuration of insulin, which may lead to the inactivation of insulin. High resolution mass values and the characteristic isotopic pattern of the platinated insulin ions allowed the analysis of platinated mono-, di- and triadducts of cisplatin and insulin in the incubations under different conditions. The laser-induced dissociation of the monoadduct obtained in MALDI source was carried out and one platinum was found to bind to insulin B chain was determined. The platinum binding sites were further identified to be the N terminus (B chain), cysteine 7 (B chain) and cysteine 19 (B chain) residues by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The identification of the interaction between insulin and cisplatin broadens the horizon of the knowledge in the interaction of the proteins and metallodrugs.

Top-Down Mass Spectrometry: Proteomics to Proteoforms

This chapter highlights many of the fundamental concepts and technologies in the field of top-down mass spectrometry (TDMS), and provides numerous examples of contributions that TD is making in biology, biophysics, and clinical investigations. TD workflows include variegated steps that may include non-specific or targeted preparative strategies, orthogonal liquid chromatography techniques, analyte ionization, mass analysis, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and informatics procedures. This diversity of experimental designs has evolved to manage the large dynamic range of protein expression and diverse physiochemical properties of proteins in proteome investigations, tackle proteoform microheterogeneity, as well as determine structure and composition of gas-phase proteins and protein assemblies.

Three dimensional liquid chromatography coupling ion exchange chromatography/hydrophobic interaction chromatography/reverse phase chromatography for effective protein separation in top-down proteomics

To address the complexity of the proteome in mass spectrometry (MS)-based top-down proteomics, multidimensional liquid chromatography (MDLC) strategies that can effectively separate proteins with high resolution and automation are highly desirable. Although various MDLC methods that can effectively separate peptides from protein digests exist, very few MDLC strategies, primarily consisting of 2DLC, are available for intact protein separation, which is insufficient to address the complexity of the proteome. We recently demonstrated that hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) utilizing a MS-compatible salt can provide high resolution separation of intact proteins for top-down proteomics. Herein, we have developed a novel 3DLC strategy by coupling HIC with ion exchange chromatography (IEC) and reverse phase chromatography (RPC) for intact protein separation. We demonstrated that a 3D (IEC-HIC-RPC) approach greatly outperformed the conventional 2D IEC-RPC approach. For the same IEC fraction (out of 35 fractions) from a crude HEK 293 cell lysate, a total of 640 proteins were identified in the 3D approach (corresponding to 201 nonredundant proteins) as compared to 47 in the 2D approach, whereas simply prolonging the gradients in RPC in the 2D approach only led to minimal improvement in protein separation and identifications. Therefore, this novel 3DLC method has great potential for effective separation of intact proteins to achieve deep proteome coverage in top-down proteomics.

Impact of the adenoviral E4 Orf3 protein on the activity and posttranslational modification of p53

Our previous studies have established that the p53 populations that accumulate in normal human cells exposed to etoposide or infected by an E1B 55-kDa protein-null mutant of human adenovirus type 5 carry a large number of posttranslational modifications at numerous residues (C. J. DeHart, J. S. Chahal, S. J. Flint, and D. H. Perlman, Mol Cell Proteomics 13:1-17, 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/mcp.M113.030254). In the absence of this E1B protein, the p53 transcriptional program is not induced, and it has been reported that the viral E4 Orf3 protein inactivates p53 (C. Soria, F. E. Estermann, K. C. Espantman, and C. C. O'Shea, Nature 466:1076-1081, 2010, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature09307). As the latter protein disrupts nuclear Pml bodies, sites at which p53 is modified, we used mass spectrometry to catalogue the posttranscriptional modifications of the p53 population that accumulates when neither the E1B 55-kDa nor the E4 Orf3 protein is made in infected cells. Eighty-five residues carrying 163 modifications were identified. The overall patterns of posttranslational modification of this population and p53 present in cells infected by an E1B 55-kDa-null mutant were similar. The efficiencies with which the two forms of p53 bound to a consensus DNA recognition sequence could not be distinguished and were lower than that of transcriptionally active p53. The absence of the E4 Orf3 protein increased expression of several p53-responsive genes when the E1B protein was also absent from infected cells. However, expression of these genes did not attain the levels observed when p53 was activated in response to etoposide treatment and remained lower than those measured in mock-infected cells.

IMPORTANCE

The tumor suppressor p53, a master regulator of cellular responses to stress, is inactivated and destroyed in cells infected by species C human adenoviruses, such as type 5. It is targeted for proteasomal degradation by the action of a virus-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase that contains the viral E1B 55-kDa and E4 Orf6 proteins, while the E4 Orf3 protein has been reported to block its ability to stimulate expression of p53-dependent genes. The comparisons reported here of the posttranslational modifications and activities of p53 populations that accumulate in infected normal human cells in the absence of both mechanisms of inactivation or of only the E3 ligase revealed little impact of the E4 Orf3 protein. These observations indicate that E4 Orf3-dependent disruption of Pml bodies does not have a major effect on the pattern of p53 posttranslational modifications in adenovirus-infected cells. Furthermore, they suggest that one or more additional viral proteins contribute to blocking p53 activation and the consequences that are deleterious for viral reproduction, such as apoptosis or cell cycle arrest.

Capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry for top-down characterization of the Mycobacterium marinum secretome

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with an electrokinetically pumped sheath-flow nanospray interface was coupled with a high-resolution Q-Exactive mass spectrometer for the analysis of culture filtrates from Mycobacterium marinum. We confidently identified 22 gene products from the wildtype M. marinum secretome in a single CZE-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) run. A total of 58 proteoforms were observed with post-translational modifications including signal peptide removal, N-terminal methionine excision, and acetylation. The conductivities of aqueous acetic acid and formic acid solutions were measured from 0.1% to 100% concentration (v/v). Acetic acid (70%) provided lower conductivity than 0.25% formic acid and was evaluated as low ionic-strength and a CZE-MS compatible sample buffer with good protein solubility.

Optimizing capillary electrophoresis for top-down proteomics of 30-80 kDa proteins

The direct analysis of intact proteins via MS offers compelling advantages in comparison to alternative methods due to the direct and unambiguous identification and characterization of protein sequences it provides. The inability to efficiently analyze proteins in the "middle mass range," defined here as proteins from 30 to 80 kDa, in a robust fashion has limited the adoption of these "top-down" methods. Largely, a result of poor liquid chromatographic performance, the limitations in this mass range may be addressed by alternative separations that replace chromatography. Herein, the short migration times of CZE-ESI-MS/MS have been extended to size-sorted whole proteins in complex mixtures from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01. An electrokinetically pumped nanospray interface, a coated capillary, and a stacking method for on-column sample concentration were developed to achieve high-loading capacity and separation resolution. We achieved full width at half maximum of 8-16 s for model proteins up to 29 kDa and identified 30 proteins in the mass range of 30-80 kDa from P. aeruginosa PA01 whole cell lysate. These results suggest that CZE-ESI-MS/MS is capable of identifying proteins in the middle mass range in top-down proteomics.

Protected amine labels: a versatile molecular scaffold for multiplexed nominal mass and sub-Da isotopologue quantitative proteomic reagents

We assemble a versatile molecular scaffold from simple building blocks to create binary and multiplexed stable isotope reagents for quantitative mass spectrometry. Termed Protected Amine Labels (PAL), these reagents offer multiple analytical figures of merit including, (1) robust targeting of peptide N-termini and lysyl side chains, (2) optimal mass spectrometry ionization efficiency through regeneration of primary amines on labeled peptides, (3) an amino acid-based mass tag that incorporates heavy isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen to ensure matched physicochemical and MS/MS fragmentation behavior among labeled peptides, and (4) a molecularly efficient architecture, in which the majority of hetero-atom centers can be used to synthesize a variety of nominal mass and sub-Da isotopologue stable isotope reagents. We demonstrate the performance of these reagents in well-established strategies whereby up to four channels of peptide isotopomers, each separated by 4 Da, are quantified in MS-level scans with accuracies comparable to current commercial reagents. In addition, we utilize the PAL scaffold to create isotopologue reagents in which labeled peptide analogs differ in mass based on the binding energy in carbon and nitrogen nuclei, thereby allowing quantification based on MS or MS/MS spectra. We demonstrate accurate quantification for reagents that support 6-plex labeling and propose extension of this scheme to 9-channels based on a similar PAL scaffold. Finally, we provide exemplar data that extend the application of isotopologe-based quantification reagents to medium resolution, quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometers.

Top-down protein identification of proteasome proteins with nanoLC-FT-ICR-MS employing data-independent fragmentation methods

A comparison of different data-independent fragmentation methods combined with LC coupled to high-resolution FT-ICR-MS/MS is presented for top-down MS of protein mixtures. Proteins composing the 20S and 19S proteasome complexes and their PTMs were identified using a 15 T FT-ICR mass spectrometer. The data-independent fragmentation modes with LC timescales allowed for higher duty-cycle measurements that better suit online LC-FT-ICR-MS. Protein top-down dissociation was effected by funnel-skimmer collisionally activated dissociation (FS-CAD) and CASI (continuous accumulation of selected ions)-CAD. The N-termini for 9 of the 14 20S proteasome proteins were found to be modified, and the α3 protein was found to be phosphorylated; these results are consistent with previous reports. Mass-measurement accuracy with the LC-FT-ICR system for the 20- to 30-kDa 20S proteasome proteins was 1 ppm. The intact mass of the 100-kDa Rpn1 subunit from the 19S proteasome complex regulatory particle was measured with a deviation of 17 ppm. The CASI-CAD technique is a complementary tool for intact-protein fragmentation and is an effective addition to the growing inventory of dissociation methods that are compatible with online protein separation coupled to FT-ICR-MS.

Top Down proteomics: facts and perspectives

The rise of the "Top Down" method in the field of mass spectrometry-based proteomics has ushered in a new age of promise and challenge for the characterization and identification of proteins. Injecting intact proteins into the mass spectrometer allows for better characterization of post-translational modifications and avoids several of the serious "inference" problems associated with peptide-based proteomics. However, successful implementation of a Top Down approach to endogenous or other biologically relevant samples often requires the use of one or more forms of separation prior to mass spectrometric analysis, which have only begun to mature for whole protein MS. Recent advances in instrumentation have been used in conjunction with new ion fragmentation using photons and electrons that allow for better (and often complete) protein characterization on cases simply not tractable even just a few years ago. Finally, the use of native electrospray mass spectrometry has shown great promise for the identification and characterization of whole protein complexes in the 100 kDa to 1 MDa regime, with prospects for complete compositional analysis for endogenous protein assemblies a viable goal over the coming few years.

Characterization of a low-level unknown isomeric degradation product using an integrated online-offline top-down tandem mass spectrometry platform

An integrated online-offline platform was developed combining automated online LC-MS fraction collection, continuous accumulation of selected ions (CASI), and offline top-down electron capture dissociation (ECD) tandem mass spectrometry experiments to identify a low-level, unknown isomeric degradant in a formulated drug product during an accelerated stability study. By identifying the diagnostic ions of the isoaspartic acid (isoAsp), the top-down ECD experiment showed that the Asp9 in exenatide was converted to isoAsp9 to form the unknown isomeric degradant. The platform described here provides an accurate, straightforward, and low limit of detection method for the analysis of Asp isomerization as well as other potential low-level degradants in therapeutic polypeptides and proteins. It is especially useful for unstable and time-sensitive degradants and impurities.

Extensive post-translational modification of active and inactivated forms of endogenous p53

The p53 tumor suppressor protein accumulates to very high concentrations in normal human fibroblasts infected by adenovirus type 5 mutants that cannot direct assembly of the viral E1B 55-kDa protein-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets p53 for degradation. Despite high concentrations of nuclear p53, the p53 transcriptional program is not induced in these infected cells. We exploited this system to examine select post-translational modifications (PTMs) present on a transcriptionally inert population of endogenous human p53, as well as on p53 activated in response to etoposide treatment of normal human fibroblasts. These forms of p53 were purified from whole cell lysates by means of immunoaffinity chromatography and SDS-PAGE, and peptides derived from them were subjected to nano-ultra-high-performance LC-MS and MS/MS analyses on a high-resolution accurate-mass MS platform (data available via ProteomeXchange, PXD000464). We identified an unexpectedly large number of PTMs, comprising phosphorylation of Ser and Thr residues, methylation of Arg residues, and acetylation, ubiquitinylation, and methylation of Lys residues-for example, some 150 previously undescribed modifications of p53 isolated from infected cells. These modifications were distributed across all functional domains of both forms of the endogenous human p53 protein, as well as those of an orthologous population of p53 isolated from COS-1 cells. Despite the differences in activity, including greater in vitro sequence-specific DNA binding activity exhibited by p53 isolated from etoposide-treated cells, few differences were observed in the location, nature, or relative frequencies of PTMs on the two populations of human p53. Indeed, the wealth of PTMs that we have identified is consistent with a far greater degree of complex, combinatorial regulation of p53 by PTM than previously anticipated.

Developing top down proteomics to maximize proteome and sequence coverage from cells and tissues

Mass spectrometry based proteomics generally seeks to identify and characterize protein molecules with high accuracy and throughput. Recent speed and quality improvements to the independent steps of integrated platforms have removed many limitations to the robust implementation of top down proteomics (TDP) for proteins below 70 kDa. Improved intact protein separations coupled to high-performance instruments have increased the quality and number of protein and proteoform identifications. To date, TDP applications have shown >1000 protein identifications, expanding to an average of ∼3-4 more proteoforms for each protein detected. In the near future, increased fractionation power, new mass spectrometers and improvements in proteoform scoring will combine to accelerate the application and impact of TDP to this century's biomedical problems.

Spatially-directed protein identification from tissue sections by top-down LC-MS/MS with electron transfer dissociation

MALDI imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) has become a powerful tool for localizing both small molecules and intact proteins in a wide variety of tissue samples in both normal and diseased states. Identification of imaged signals in MALDI-IMS remains a bottleneck in the analysis and limits the interpretation of underlying biology of tissue specimens. In this work, spatially directed tissue microextraction of intact proteins followed by LC-MS/MS with electron transfer dissociation (ETD) was used to identify proteins from specific locations in three tissue types; ocular lens, brain, and kidney. Detection limits were such that a 1 μL extraction volume was sufficient to deliver proteins to the LC-MS/MS instrumentation with sufficient sensitivity to detect 50-100 proteins in a single experiment. Additionally, multiple modified proteins were identified; including truncated lens proteins that would be difficult to assign to an imaged mass using a bottom-up approach. Protein separation and identification are expected to improve with advances in intact protein fractionation/chromatography and advances in interpretation algorithms leading to increased depth of proteome coverage from distinct tissue locations.

Fast top-down intact protein characterization with capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE)-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) was applied for rapid top-down intact protein characterization. A mixture containing four model proteins (cytochrome c, myoglobin, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and β-casein) was used as the sample. The CZE-ESI-MS system was first evaluated with the mixture. The four model proteins and five impurities were baseline-separated within 12 min. The limits of detection [signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 3] of the four model proteins ranged from 20 (cytochrome c) to 800 amol (BSA). The relative standard deviations of migration time and intensity for the four model proteins were less than 3% and 30%, respectively, in quintuplicate runs. CZE-ESI-MS/MS was then applied for top-down characterization of the mixture. Three of the model proteins (all except BSA) and an impurity (bovine transthyretin) were confidently identified by database searching of the acquired tandem spectra from protein fragmentation. Modifications including phosphorylation, N-terminal acetylation, and heme group binding were identified.

Proteomics applied to transfusion plasma: the beginning of the story

'Safe blood' is and has always been the major concern in transfusion medicine. Plasma can undergo virus inactivation treatments based on physicochemical, photochemical or thermal methodologies for pathogen inactivation. The validation of these treatments is essentially based on clottability assays and clotting factors' titration; however, their impact on plasma proteins at the molecular level has not yet been evaluated. Proteomics appears as particularly adapted to identify, to localize and, consequently, to correlate these modifications to the biological activity change. At the crossroads of biology and analytical sciences, proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins in tissues, physiological fluids or cells at a given moment and in a precise environment. The proteomic strategy is based on a set of methodologies involving separative techniques like mono- and bidimensional gel electrophoresis and chromatography, analytical techniques, especially mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics. Even if plasma has been extensively studied since the very beginning of proteomics, its application to transfusion medicine has just begun. In the first part of this review, we present the principles of proteomics analysis. Then, we propose a state of the art of proteomics applied to plasma analysis. Finally, the use of proteomics for the evaluation of the impact of storage conditions and pathogen inactivation treatments applied to transfusion plasma and for the evaluation of therapeutic protein fractionated is discussed.

Chemometric data analysis for deconvolution of overlapped ion mobility profiles

We present the details of a data analysis approach for deconvolution of the ion mobility (IM) overlapped or unresolved species. This approach takes advantage of the ion fragmentation variations as a function of the IM arrival time. The data analysis involves the use of an in-house developed data preprocessing platform for the conversion of the original post-IM/collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry (post-IM/CID MS) data to a Matlab compatible format for chemometric analysis. We show that principle component analysis (PCA) can be used to examine the post-IM/CID MS profiles for the presence of mobility-overlapped species. Subsequently, using an interactive self-modeling mixture analysis technique, we show how to calculate the total IM spectrum (TIMS) and CID mass spectrum for each component of the IM overlapped mixtures. Moreover, we show that PCA and IM deconvolution techniques provide complementary results to evaluate the validity of the calculated TIMS profiles. We use two binary mixtures with overlapping IM profiles, including (1) a mixture of two non-isobaric peptides (neurotensin (RRPYIL) and a hexapeptide (WHWLQL)), and (2) an isobaric sugar isomer mixture of raffinose and maltotriose, to demonstrate the applicability of the IM deconvolution.

Analysis of protein isoforms: can we do it better?

Protein isoforms/splice variants can play important roles in various biological processes and can potentially be used as biomarkers or therapeutic targets/mediators. Thus, there is a need for efficient and, importantly, accurate methods to distinguish and quantify specific protein isoforms. Since protein isoforms can share a high percentage of amino acid sequence homology and dramatically differ in their cellular concentration, the task for accuracy and efficiency in methodology and instrumentation is challenging. The analysis of intact proteins has been perceived to provide a more accurate and complete result for isoform identification/quantification in comparison to analysis of the corresponding peptides that arise from protein enzymatic digestion. Recently, novel approaches have been explored and developed that can possess the accuracy and reliability important for protein isoform differentiation and isoform-specific peptide targeting. In this review, we discuss the recent development in methodology and instrumentation for enhanced detection of protein isoforms as well as the examples of their biological importance.

Computation of isotopic peak center-mass distribution by Fourier transform

We derive a new efficient algorithm for the computation of the isotopic peak center-mass distribution of a molecule. With the use of Fourier transform techniques, the algorithm accurately computes the total abundance and average mass of all the isotopic species with the same number of nucleons. We evaluate the performance of the method with 10 benchmark proteins and other molecules; results are compared with BRAIN, a recently reported polynomial method. The new algorithm is comparable to BRAIN in accuracy and superior in terms of speed and memory, particularly for large molecules. An implementation of the algorithm is available for download.