Analysis FTMS method

Although not a laser FTMS method, it is necessary to briefly consider the complementary technique, electrospray ionization, one of the most widely used alternatives for biological applications where high-mass analysis has been achieved through the addition of multiple charges. The introduction of electrospray ionization has revolutionized analysis of high-mass species. Because of its evaporative ionization process, molecular ion dissociation is... 

Kenion et al. [225] used LD FTMS for direct analysis of a discoloured adhesive. MALDI-FTICR-MS is a direct way of examining molecular weight distributions. FTMS is not yet widely being used for industrial problem solving, despite long-lasting expectations. Instead, FTICR-MS is the method of... 

Laser desorption methods (such as LD-ITMS) are indicated as cost-saving real-time techniques for the near future. In a single laser shot, the LDI technique coupled with Fourier-transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) can provide detailed chemical information on the polymeric molecular structure, and is a tool for direct determination of additives and contaminants in polymers. This offers new analytical capabilities to solve problems in research, development, engineering, production, technical support, competitor product analysis, and defect analysis. Laser desorption techniques are limited to surface analysis and do not allow quantitation, but exhibit superior analyte selectivity. 

An interesting variation on the whole-cell MALDI approach was recently reported in a study aimed more at FTMS than TOF MS, but the results are nevertheless interesting and important to users of both methods for analysis of bacteria 40. Wilkins s group showed both MALDI-TOF and MALDI-FTMS spectra of whole bacteria grown on isotopic media depleted in C13 and N14. Because most bacterial identification protocols involve a culture step prior to analysis, it is possible to manipulate the sample based on control of the growth media. For mass spectral analysis manipulation of the isotope profile... 

The utility of MALDI-FTMS analysis for use in chemotaxonomic applications has been established, but this method can be applied to other areas of interest, such as biomedical and environmental analyses. A common method used by biochemists and biologists today is recombinant overexpression of proteins using bacterial whole cells in cases where large quantity of a protein is desired. The main method presently used to determine if the overexpression was successful is the use of SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecylsulfate-poly acrylamide gel... 

The results for bacterial whole-cell analysis described here establish the utility of MALDI-FTMS for mass spectral analysis of whole-cell bacteria and (potentially) more complex single-celled organisms. The use of MALDI-measured accurate mass values combined with mass defect plots is rapid, accurate, and simpler in sample preparation then conventional liquid chromatographic methods for bacterial lipid analysis. Intact cell MALDI-FTMS bacterial lipid characterization complements the use of proteomics profiling by mass spectrometry because it relies on accurate mass measurements of chemical species that are not subject to posttranslational modification or proteolytic degradation. 

The LTQ-FT mass spectrometer was introduced in late 2003 and, as expected, the main application discussed in the literature is for the analysis of proteins and peptides (Johnson et al., 2004 Syka et al., 2004). A recent book chapter (van der Greef et al., 2004) and a review article (Brown et al., 2005) discussed the application of the LTQ-FT to metabolomics. FTMS applications to dmg metabolism are still very new and dmg discovery research laboratories which have recently purchased the instmment are still in the process of developing and validating methods and approaches. A recent publication describes the depth and flexibility of the experimental setup utilizing accurate mass data-dependent exclusion MS" measurements with a LTQ-FT (Tozuka et al., 2005). We have reported several integrated approaches for determination of metabolic stability, characterization of metabolites and metabolic... 

As noted earlier, the development of the dual cell (37), tandem quadrupole-FTMS (46, 47) and external ionization cell (48, 49) has facilitated the coupling of FTMS and chromatographic methods. Advances in interfacing separation techniques with FTMS will be important in the analysis of mixtures, especially where high mass resolution is required. For example, liquid chromatographic introduction of mixtures isolated from biological systems directly into an FTMS for analysis would eliminate the need for laborious sample clean up. 

Most FTMS instrument and method development research has been focussed on demonstration experiments. Examples include coupling FTMS with various sample introduction schemes (e.g., GC, LC, supercritical fluid chromatography), sample ionization (e.g., LD, pulsed SIMS, Cf-252 PDMS, etc.), and demonstrating application to various interesting classes of chemical compounds. These demonstrations are useful because they are indications of the potential of the technique. However, few reports of the routine use of FTMS for trace analysis, for accurate mass, and for structure determination of unknowns have yet appeared. One reason is that FT mass spectrometers are not widely spread in the hands of users. Another is that FTMS is not yet routine. Most of the demonstration experiments have been done in expert laboratories by committed and highly focussed graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. 

MS/MS. The capability of trapping ions for long periods of time is one of the most interesting features of FTMS, and it is this capability that has made FTMS (and its precursor, ion cyclotron resonance) the method of choice for ion-molecule reaction studies. It is this capability that has also lead to the development of MS/MS techniques for FTMS [11]. FTMS has demonstrated capabilities for high resolution daughter ion detection [42-44], and consecutive MS/MS reactions [45], that have shown it to be an intriguing alternative to the use of the instruments with multiple analysis stages. Initial concerns about limited resolution for parent ion selection have been allayed by the development of a stored waveform, inverse Fourier transform method of excitation by Marshall and coworkers [9,10] which allows the operator to tailor the excitation waveform to the desired experiment. 

Recently, new 2D-methods for the analysis of complex mixtures have been developed for time-of-flight mass spectrometry (22), which could also be utilized in external ionization FTMS. Specifically, the combination of IR-laser desorption of nonvolatile neutrals, followed by adiabatic cooling to 2°K in a supersonic jet, and subsequent compound-selective Resonance-Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization (REMPI) could increase the role of FTMS in the analysis of biological mixtures. The coupling of supersonic jets to the external ion source would also be of interest in ion- and neutral cluster experiments. 

Due to the relatively small number of laboratories equipped with LD-FTMS, the method is not as well known or as highly developed as FAB ionization which is now available for most commercial magnetic sector and quadrupole instruments. The pulsed nature of the lasers typically employed are ideally matched with mass spectrometers capable of simultaneous detection or rapid analysis. Thus FTMS or time of flight (TOF) instruments are best suited for LD applications. However, the latter possesses limited mass resolution. This chapter will attempt to present the current capabilities and limitations of LD-FTMS and to address its future potential. 

Peptides. One of the applications that has benefited most from the development of soft ionization methods for mass spectrometry has been the analysis of polar biological materials. Peptides, in particular, have been extensively studied by a variety of soft ionization methods, primarily FAB, with excellent results being obtained for peptides in the 1000-10000 dalton range. LD-FTMS also has proved to be very successful for analysis of simple peptides and an examination of these results should help delineate the analytical potential of LD-FTMS in this important area. 

The method of choice is dependent upon the analyte, the assay performance required to meet the intended application, the timeline, and cost-effectiveness. The assay requirements include sensitivity, selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and method robustness. Assay sensitivity in general is in the order of IA > LC-MS/MS > HPLC, while selectivity is IA LC-MS/MS > HPLC. However, IA is an indirect method which measures the binding action instead of relying directly on the physico-chemical properties of the analyte. The IA response versus concentration curve follows a curvilinear relationship, and the results are inherently less precise than for the other two methods with linear concentration-response relationships. The method development time for IA is usually longer than that for LC/MS-MS, mainly because of the time required for the production and characterization of unique antibody reagents. Combinatorial tests to optimize multiple factors in several steps of some IA formats are more complicated, and also result in a longer method refinement time. The nature of IAs versus that of LC-MS/MS methods are compared in Table 6.1. However, once established, IA methods are sensitive, consistent, and very cost-effective for the analysis of large volumes of samples. The more expensive FTMS or TOF-MS methods can be used to complement IA on selectivity confirmation. 

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