High-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry for mass spectrometry-based proteomics

High-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) is an atmospheric pressure ion mobility technique that separates gas-phase ions by their behavior in strong and weak electric fields. FAIMS is easily interfaced with electrospray ionization and has been implemented as an additional separation mode between liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) in proteomic studies. FAIMS separation is orthogonal to both LC and MS and is used as a means of on-line fractionation to improve the detection of peptides in complex samples. FAIMS improves dynamic range and concomitantly the detection limits of ions by filtering out chemical noise. FAIMS can also be used to remove interfering ion species and to select peptide charge states optimal for identification by tandem MS. Here, the authors review recent developments in LC-FAIMS-MS and its application to MS-based proteomics.     

Combining high-energy C-trap dissociation and electron transfer dissociation for protein O-GlcNAc modification site assignment

Mass spectrometry-based studies of proteins that are post-translationally modified by O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) are challenged in effectively identifying the sites of modification while simultaneously sequencing the peptides. Here we tested the hypothesis that a combination of high-energy C-trap dissociation (HCD) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) could specifically target the O-GlcNAc modified peptides and elucidate the amino acid sequence while preserving the attached GlcNAc residue for accurate site assignment. By taking advantage of the recently characterized O-GlcNAc-specific IgG monoclonal antibodies and the combination of HCD and ETD fragmentation techniques, O-GlcNAc modified proteins were enriched from HEK293T cells and subsequently characterized using the LTQ Orbitrap Velos ETD (Thermo Fisher Scientific) mass spectrometer. In our data set, 83 sites of O-GlcNAc modification are reported with high confidence confirming that the HCD/ETD combined approach is amenable to the detection and site assignment of O-GlcNAc modified peptides. Realizing HCD triggered ETD fragmentation on a linear ion trap/Orbitrap platform for more in-depth analysis and application of this technique to other post-translationally modified proteins are currently underway. Furthermore, this report illustrates that the O-GlcNAc transferase appears to demonstrate promiscuity with regards to the hydroxyl-containing amino acid modified in short stretches of primary sequence of the glycosylated polypeptides.     

Improvement of phosphoproteome analyses using FAIMS and decision tree fragmentation. application to the insulin signaling pathway in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells

This report examines the analytical benefits of high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) coupled to liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for phosphoproteomics analyses. The ability of FAIMS to separate multiply charged peptide ions from chemical interferences confers a unique advantage in phosphoproteomics by enhancing the detection of low abundance phosphopeptides. LC-FAIMS-MS experiments performed on TiO(2)-enriched tryptic digests from Drosophila melanogaster provided a 50% increase in phosphopeptide identification compared to conventional LC-MS analysis. Also, FAIMS can be used to select different population of multiply charged phosphopeptide ions prior to their activation with either collision activated dissociation (CAD) or electron transfer dissociation (ETD). Importantly, FAIMS enabled the resolution of coeluting phosphoisomers of different abundances to facilitate their unambiguous identification using conventional database search engines. The benefits of FAIMS in large-scale phosphoproteomics of D. melanogaster are further investigated using label-free quantitation to identify differentially regulated phosphoproteins in response to insulin stimulation.     

Ion mobility mass spectrometry for peptide analysis

The use of ion mobility mass spectrometry has grown rapidly over the last two decades. This powerful analytical platform now forms an attractive prospect for comprehensive analysis of many different molecular species, including chemically complex biological molecules. This paper describes the application of IM-MS to the study of peptides. We focus on three different ion mobility devices that are most frequently found in tandem with mass spectrometers. These are instruments using linear drift tubes (LDT), those using travelling wave ion guides (TWIGS) and those employing high field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS). Each technique is described. Examples are given on the use of IM-MS for the determination of peptide structure, the study of peptides that form amyloid fibrils, and the study of complex peptide mixtures in proteomic investigations. We describe and comment on the methodologies used and the outlook for this developing analytical technique.     

Development of high throughput dispersive LC-ion mobility-TOFMS techniques for analysing the human plasma proteome.

A technique that combines ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) with reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC), collision-induced dissociation (CID) and mass spectrometry (MS) has been developed. The approach is described as a high throughput means of analysing complex mixtures of peptides that arise from enzymatic digestion of protein mixtures. In this approach, peptides are separated by LC and, as they elute from the column, they are introduced into the gas phase and ionised by electrospray ionisation. The beam of ions is accumulated in an ion trap and then the concentrated ion packet is injected into a drift tube where the ions are separated again in the gas phase by IMS, a technique that differentiates ions based on their mobilities through a buffer gas. As ions exit the drift tube, they can be subjected to collisional activation to produce fragments prior to being introduced into a mass spectrometer for detection. The IMS separation can be carried out in only a few milliseconds and offers a number of advantages compared with LC-MS alone. An example of a single 21-minute LC-IMS-(CID)-MS analysis of the human plasma proteome reveals approximately 20,000 parent ions and approximately 600,000 fragment ions and evidence for 227 unique protein assignments.     

Prevention of amino acid conversion in SILAC experiments with embryonic stem cells

Recent studies using stable isotope labeling with amino acids in culture (SILAC) in quantitative proteomics have made mention of the problematic conversion of isotope-coded arginine to proline in cells. The resulting converted proline peptide divides the heavy peptide ion signal causing inaccuracy when compared with the light peptide ion signal. This is of particular concern as it can effect up to half of all peptides in a proteomic experiment. Strategies to both compensate for and limit the inadvertent conversion have been demonstrated, but none have been shown to prevent it. Additionally, these methods combined with SILAC labeling in general have proven problematic in their large scale application to sensitive cell types including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from the mouse and human. Here, we show that by providing as little as 200 mg/liter L-proline in SILAC media, the conversion of arginine to proline can be rendered completely undetectable. At the same time, there was no compromise in labeling with isotope-coded arginine, indicating there is no observable back conversion from the proline supplement. As a result, when supplemented with proline, correct interpretation of "light" and "heavy" peptide ratios could be achieved even in the worst cases of conversion. By extending these principles to ESC culture protocols and reagents we were able to routinely SILAC label both mouse and human ESCs in the absence of feeder cells and without compromising the pluripotent phenotype. This study provides the simplest protocol to prevent proline artifacts in SILAC labeling experiments with arginine. Moreover, it presents a robust, feeder cell-free, protocol for performing SILAC experiments on ESCs from both the mouse and the human.     

An approach to enhancing coverage of the urinary metabonome using liquid chromatography-ion mobility-mass spectrometry

The potential of drift tube ion mobility (IM) spectrometry in combination with high performance liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) for the metabonomic analysis of rat urine is reported. The combined LC-IM-MS approach using quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry with electrospray ionisation, uses gas-phase analyte characterisation based on both mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio and relative gas-phase mobility (drift time) following LC separation. The technique allowed the acquisition of nested data sets, with mass spectra acquired at regular intervals (65 micros) during each IMS separation (approximately 13 ms) and several IMS spectra acquired during the elution of a single LC peak, without increasing the overall analysis time compared to LC-MS. Preliminary results indicate that spectral quality is improved when using LC-IM-MS, compared to direct injection IM-MS, for which significant ion suppression effects were observed in the electrospray ion source. The use of reversed-phase LC employing fast gradient elution reduced sample preparation to a minimum, whilst maintaining the potential for high throughput analysis. Data mining allowed information on specific analytes to be extracted from the complex metabonomic data set. LC-IM-MS based approaches may have a useful role in metabonomic analyses by introducing an additional discriminatory dimension of ion mobility (drift time).     

Detection of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) by Urinary Volatile Organic Compound Analysis

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer related death in Europe and the USA. There is no universally accepted effective non-invasive screening test for CRC. Guaiac based faecal occult blood (gFOB) testing has largely been superseded by Faecal Immunochemical testing (FIT), but sensitivity still remains poor. The uptake of population based FOBt testing in the UK is also low at around 50%. The detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) signature(s) for many cancer subtypes is receiving increasing interest using a variety of gas phase analytical instruments. One such example is FAIMS (Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometer). FAIMS is able to identify Inflammatory Bowel disease (IBD) patients by analysing shifts in VOCs patterns in both urine and faeces. This study extends this concept to determine whether CRC patients can be identified through non-invasive analysis of urine, using FAIMS. 133 patients were recruited; 83 CRC patients and 50 healthy controls. Urine was collected at the time of CRC diagnosis and headspace analysis undertaken using a FAIMS instrument (Owlstone, Lonestar, UK). Data was processed using Fisher Discriminant Analysis (FDA) after feature extraction from the raw data. FAIMS analyses demonstrated that the VOC profiles of CRC patients were tightly clustered and could be distinguished from healthy controls. Sensitivity and specificity for CRC detection with FAIMS were 88% and 60% respectively. This study suggests that VOC signatures emanating from urine can be detected in patients with CRC using ion mobility spectroscopy technology (FAIMS) with potential as a novel screening tool.     

Metal ion-mobilizing additives for comprehensive detection of femtomole amounts of phosphopeptides by reversed phase LC-MS

It is hypothesized that metal ion-mediated adsorption of phosphorylated peptides on stationary phases of LC-columns is the major cause for their frequently observed poor detection efficiency in LC-MS. To study this phenomenon in more detail, sample solutions spiked with metal ion-mobilizing additives were analyzed by reversed phase μLC-ICP-MS or nanoLC-ESI-MS. Using μLC-ICP-MS, metal ions were analyzed directly as atomic ions. Using electrospray ionization, either metal ion chelates or phosphopeptide standard mixtures injected in subpicomole amounts were analyzed. Deferoxamine, imidazole, ascorbate, citrate, EDTA, and the tetrapeptide pSpSpSpS were tested as sample additives for the interlinked purposes of metal ion-mobilization and improvement of phosphopeptide recovery. Iron probably represents the major metal ion contamination of reversed phase columns. Based on the certified iron level in LC-grade solvents, a daily metal ion load of >10 pmol was estimated for typical nanoLC flow rates. In addition, phosphopeptide fractions from IMAC columns were identified as source for metal ion contamination of the LC column, as demonstrated for Ga³⁺-IMAC. The three metal ion-chelating additives, EDTA, citrate and pSpSpSpS, were found to perform best for improving the LC recovery of multiply phosphorylated peptides injected at subpicomole amounts. The benefits of metal ion-mobilizing LC (mimLC) characterized by metal ion complexing sample additives is demonstrated for three different instrumental setups comprising (a) a nanoUPLC-system with direct injection on the analytical column, (b) a nanoLC system with inclusion of a trapping column, and (c) the use of a HPLC-Chip system with integrated trapping and analytical column.     

Comprehensive proteomics in yeast using chromatographic fractionation, gas phase fractionation, protein gel electrophoresis, and isoelectric focusing

We have investigated the use of a variety of different techniques to identify as many proteins as possible in a yeast lysate, with the aim of investigating the overlap and complementarity of data from different approaches. A standard lysate was prepared from log phase yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). This was then subjected to analysis via five different approaches aimed at identifying as many proteins as possible using an ion trap mass spectrometer. The total number of non-redundant protein identifications from each experiment was: 524 proteins by 2-D (SCX/C18) nanoflow liquid chromatography-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-LC MS/MS (MudPIT)); 381 proteins by nanoLC-MS/MS with gas phase fractionation by mass range selection; 390 proteins by nanoLC-MS/MS with gas phase fractionation by ion abundance selection; 898 proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) separation of proteins, in-gel digestion, and nanoLC-MS/MS of gel slices; and 422 proteins by isoelectric focusing of proteins, in-gel digestion and nanoLC-MS/MS of gel slices. The total number of non-redundant protein identifications in the five experiments was 1204. Combining only the two best experiments, the SDS-PAGE gel slices and the Mudpit, produces 1024 proteins identified, more than 85% of the total. Clearly, combining a Mudpit analysis with an SDS-PAGE gel slice experiment gives the greatest amount of protein identification information from a limited amount of sample.     

Unique scanning capabilities of a new hybrid linear ion trap mass spectrometer (Q TRAP) used for high sensitivity proteomics applications

The unique scanning capabilities of a hybrid linear ion trap (Q TRAP) mass spectrometer are described with an emphasis on proteomics applications. The combination of the very selective triple quadrupole based tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) scans with the very sensitive ion trap product ion scans allows rapid identification of peptides at low concentrations derived from post-translationally modified proteins on chromatographic time scales. The Q TRAP instrument also offers the opportunity to conduct a variety of ion processing steps prior to performing a mass scan. For example, the enhancement of the multiple-charge ion contents of the ion trap can be performed resulting in a survey mass spectrum dominated by double- and triple-charge peptides. This facilitates the identification of relevant biological species in both separated and unseparated peptide mixtures for further MS/MS experiments.     

Immonium ion scanning for the discovery of post-translational modifications and its application to histones

This study investigates the use of immonium ion scanning for the discovery of methylated and acetylated peptides. Tandem mass spectrometry of modified and unmodified versions of identical peptides revealed ions of 98, 112 and 126 m/ z specifically in association with mono-, dimethylated and acetylated lysine, respectively. Ions of 143 m/ z were seen to be associated with monomethylated arginine, although were not unique to this amino acid. Use of immonium ion scanning with differing collision energies (35, 55, 75, 95, 115 eV) showed that where immonium ions are strong and unique for a modified amino acid, the discovery rate of modified peptides can be improved up to 4-fold over control analyses. The position of an amino acid in a peptide, being terminal or internal, also affected the efficiency of identification of modified peptides. Higher collision energy scanning was required for the most effective identification of peptides with internal modified residues. We conclude that immonium ion scanning, particularly with a range of collision energies, can improve the discovery efficiency of post-translational modifications in peptides.     

Distinguishing between phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated peptides with ion mobility-mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry has become an indispensable tool in identifying post-translationally modified proteins, but multiple peptide mass-mapping/peptide-sequencing experiments are required to answer questions involving the site and type of modification present. Here, we apply ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS), a high-throughput analysis method having high selectivity and sensitivity, to the challenge of identifying phosphorylated peptides. Ion mobility separation is based on the collision cross-section of the ion. Phosphorylation can result in a conformational change in gas-phase peptide ions, which can be detected by IM. To demonstrate this point, a peptide mixture containing a variety of peptide sequences is examined with IM-MS and molecular dynamics calculations. During the course of these studies, two classes of phosphopeptide were identified: (i) phosphorylated peptide ions that have conformers that differ from the nonphosphorylated ion and (ii) phosphorylated peptide ions that have conformations that are very similar to the nonphosphorylated peptide. The utility of IM-MS peptide mass mapping for identifying both types of phosphorylated peptides is discussed.     

A novel mass spectrometric approach to the analysis of hormonal peptides in extracts of mouse pancreatic islets.

Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a valuable tool in the analysis of proteins and peptides. The combination of LC-MS with different fragmentation methods provides sequence information on components in complex mixtures. In this work, on-line packed capillary LC electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance MS was combined with two complementary fragmentation techniques, i.e. nozzle-skimmer fragmentation and electron capture dissociation, for the determination of hormonal peptides in an acid ethanol extract of mouse pancreatic islets. The most abundant peptides, those derived from proinsulin and proglucagon, were identified by their masses and additional sequence-tag information established their identities. Interestingly, the experiments demonstrated the presence of truncated C-peptides, des-(25-29)-C-peptide and des-(27-31)-C-peptide. These novel findings clearly illustrate the potential usefulness of the described technique for on-line sequencing and characterization of peptides in tissue extracts.     

Development of high-throughput liquid chromatography injected ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight techniques for analysis of complex peptide mixtures

The development of a multidimensional approach involving high-performance liquid chromatography (LC), ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and tandem mass spectrometry is described for the analysis of complex peptide mixtures. In this approach, peptides are separated based on differences in their LC retention times and mobilities (as ions drift through He) prior to being introduced into a quadrupole/octopole/time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The initial LC separation and IMS dispersion of ions is used to label ions for subsequent fragmentation studies that are carried out for mixtures of ions. The approach is demonstrated by examining a mixture of peptides generated from tryptic digestion of 18 commercially available proteins. Current limitations of this initial study and potential advantages of the experimental approach are discussed.     

A practical recipe for stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)

Stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) is a simple, robust, yet powerful approach in mass spectrometry (MS)-based quantitative proteomics. SILAC labels cellular proteomes through normal metabolic processes, incorporating non-radioactive, stable isotope-containing amino acids in newly synthesized proteins. Growth medium is prepared where natural ("light") amino acids are replaced by "heavy" SILAC amino acids. Cells grown in this medium incorporate the heavy amino acids after five cell doublings and SILAC amino acids have no effect on cell morphology or growth rates. When light and heavy cell populations are mixed, they remain distinguishable by MS, and protein abundances are determined from the relative MS signal intensities. SILAC provides accurate relative quantification without any chemical derivatization or manipulation and enables development of elegant functional assays in proteomics. In this protocol, we describe how to apply SILAC and the use of nano-scale liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for protein identification and quantification. This procedure can be completed in 8 days.     

Automated identification of SUMOylation sites using mass spectrometry and SUMmOn pattern recognition software

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) allows for the rapid identification of many types of post-translational modifications (PTMs), especially those that can be detected by a diagnostic mass shift in one or more peptide fragment ions (for example, phosphorylation). But some PTMs (for example, SUMOs and other ubiquitin-like modifiers) themselves produce multiple fragment ions; combined with fragments from the modified target peptide, a complex overlapping fragmentation pattern is thus generated, which is uninterpretable by standard peptide sequencing software. Here we introduce SUMmOn, an automated pattern recognition tool that detects diagnostic PTM fragment ion series within complex MS/MS spectra, to identify modified peptides and modification sites within these peptides. Using SUMmOn, we demonstrate for the first time that human SUMO-1 multimerizes in vitro primarily via three N-terminal lysines, Lys7, Lys16 and Lys17. Notably, our method is theoretically applicable to any type of modification or chemical moiety generating a unique fragment ion pattern.     

A comparison of nLC-ESI-MS/MS and nLC-MALDI-MS/MS for GeLC-based protein identification and iTRAQ-based shotgun quantitative proteomics.

The use of nLC-ESI-MS/MS in shotgun proteomics experiments and GeLC-MS/MS analysis is well accepted and routinely available in most proteomics laboratories. However, the same cannot be said for nLC-MALDI MS/MS, which has yet to experience such widespread acceptance, despite the fact that the MALDI technology offers several critical advantages over ESI. As an illustration, in an analysis of moderately complex sample of E. coli proteins, the use MALDI in addition to ESI in GeLC-MS/MS resulted in a 16% average increase in protein identifications, while with more complex samples the number of additional protein identifications increased by an average of 45%. The size of the unique peptides identified by MALDI was, on average, 25% larger than the unique peptides identified by ESI, and they were found to be slightly more hydrophilic. The insensitivity of MALDI to the presence of ionization suppression agents was shown to be a significant advantage, suggesting it be used as a complement to ESI when ion suppression is a possibility. Furthermore, the higher resolution of the TOF/TOF instrument improved the sensitivity, accuracy, and precision of the data over that obtained using only ESI-based iTRAQ experiments using a linear ion trap. Nevertheless, accurate data can be generated with either instrument. These results demonstrate that coupling nanoLC with both ESI and MALDI ionization interfaces improves proteome coverage, reduces the deleterious effects of ionization suppression agents, and improves quantitation, particularly in complex samples.     

Effective correction of experimental errors in quantitative proteomics using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)

Accurate and reliable quantitative proteomics in cell culture has been considerably facilitated by the introduction of the stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC), combined with high resolution mass spectrometry. There are however several major sources of quantification errors that commonly occur with SILAC techniques, i.e. incomplete incorporation of isotopic amino acids, arginine-to-proline conversion, and experimental errors in final sample mixing. Dataset normalization is a widely adopted solution to such errors, however this may not completely prevent introducing incorrect expression ratios. Here we demonstrate that a label-swap replication of SILAC experiments was able to effectively correct experimental errors by averaging ratios measured in individual replicates using quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics of ligand treatment of neural cell cultures. Furthermore, this strategy was successfully applied to a SILAC triplet experiment, which presents a much more complicated experimental matrix, affected by both incomplete labeling and arginine-to-proline conversion. Based on our results, we suggest that SILAC experiments should be designed to incorporate label-swap replications for enhanced reliability in expression ratios.     

Electrospray mass spectrometry to study drug-nucleic acids interactions

We present here a tutorial review on the electrospray mass spectrometry technique and its applications to the study of drug-nucleic acid non-covalent complexes. Particular emphasis has been made on the basic principles of the technique, to allow even the non-specialist to design fit-for-purpose mass spectrometry experiments and interpret the results. Standard applications will be described in detail, including the determination of stoichiometries and equilibrium binding constants of non-covalent complexes, the study of binding kinetics, and the development of ligand screening assays. We also outline the potentials of more advanced and/or more recent MS-based techniques (tandem mass spectrometry, ion mobility spectrometry and gas-phase spectroscopy) for the study of the nucleic acid-ligand complexes.