Mass spectrometry MALDI ionization

Figure 2.4. Peptide fingerprinting by MALDI-TOF mass Spectrometry. Proteins are extracted and separated on by 2D gel electrophoresis. A spot of interest is excised from the gel, digested with trypsin, and ionized by MALDI. The precise mass of proteolytic fragments is determined by time-of- flight mass spectrometry. The identity of the protein is determined by comparing the peptide masses with a list of peptide masses generated by a simulated digestion of all of the open reading frames of the organism.

Electrospray (ESI) ionization mass spectrometry also plays in important role in bacterial characterization. Because it typically includes a chromatographic separation step, the approach is not considered as rapid as MALDI approaches, which do not incorporate a separation. However, compared to the times needed to grow bacteria in culture prior to analysis, the time frame is not lengthy, and the addition of chromatographic separation provides many opportunities to increase specificity. ESI/MS has been used to characterize cellular biomarkers for metabolic, genomic, and proteomics fingerprinting of bacteria, and these approaches are reported in two chapters. 

It needs to be pointed out, that the investigation of some technically important polymers like polyolefines has not been very successful so far. Owing to their inert nature they are difficult to dissolve and also difficult to ionize. Typically one needs for the ionization process some heterogeneities or double bonds in the polymer. For some insoluble substances a solvent-free sample preparation method has been developed that allows a characterization by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry [93]. 

The most discriminating technique for proving the identity and purity of analyte peak of a chromatogram, especially for analyzing biological samples and natural products, is by using online LC-UV/MS or GC-MS/FTIR methods [15]. Alternatively, one could use a combination of TLC and MS, where direct determination on the TLC plates is made by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) [16]. 

Many diseases are characterized by the expression of specific proteins1 in some cases, malignant cells yield unique protein profiles when total cellular protein extracts are analyzed by proteomic methods such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS).2 High-throughput proteomic studies may be useful to differentiate normal cells from cancer cells, to identify and define the use of biomarkers for specific cancers, and to characterize the clinical course of disease. Proteomics can also be used to isolate and characterize potential drug targets and to evaluate the efficacy of treatments. 

In a separate study, a protocol for Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) has been proposed.18 This IMS technique provides a new approach to visualize spatial distribution of thousands of molecular species, including peptides, proteins, and their metabolites in two- or three-dimensional levels. This approach may also provide a straightforward method of determining the tissue distribution of multiple peptides or proteins in a quantitative manner.18 Chu et al.19 reported a nondestructive molecular extraction method to obtain proteins from a single FFPE or frozen tissue section, without destroying the tissue morphology, such... 

Other MS based analytical approaches have occasionally been applied to ancient resin samples, in particular for paint varnishes. Such techniques include FABS (fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry) [35], MALDI (matrix assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry) and GALDI (graphite assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry) [36 38]. 

Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), 78 774... 

Lang SR, Staudenmann W, James P, Manz HJ, Kessler R, Galli B, Moser HP, Rummelt A, Merkle HP (1996) Proteolysis of human calcitonin in excised bovine nasal mucosa elucidation of the metabolic pathway by liquid secondary ionization mass spectrometry (LSIMS) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI). Pharm Res 13 1679-1685. 

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI) uses a matrix, typically of aromatic acids, whose molecular weight is similar to those of typical metabolites and thus disallows the mass spectrometric measurement of the latter. 

Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOE) mass spectrometry was carried out with a PerSeptive Biosystems Voyager-DE-RP MALDl-TOF mass spectrometer. A 337-nm UV nitrogen laser producing 3-ns pulses was used in the reflectron mode. The samples were prepared by mixing 10 pi of a 0.1 M HAc solution of the sample with 20 pi of a solution of 3 mg/1 a-cyano-4-hydroxy cinnamic acid in wafer. One pi of that solution was loaded on the gold-sample plate. 

Schiller, J. Suss, R. Amhold, J. Fuchs, B. Lessig, J. Muller, M. Petkovic, M. Spalteholz, H. Zschomig, O. Arnold, K. Matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry in lipid and phospholipid research. Prog. Lipid Res. 2004, 43, 449-488. 

Mark-Honwink eqnation Relates limiting viscosity number (LVN) to molecular weight LVN = KM . matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) MS in which the sample is placed in a matrix that contains a strong ultraviolet (LTV) absorber chosen to match the UV absorption of the laser, which allows the molecules to become volatilized with minimal fragmentation. 

The exception to this is the application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). In 1981, Barber and Liu and coworkers independently introduced the concept of employing MALDI where the absorption of the matrix is chosen to coincide with the wavelength of the employed laser to assist in the volatilization of materials. In 1988, Tanaka, Hillenkamp, and coworkers employed the laser as the energy source, giving birth to MALDI-MS. 

Two recently developed mass spectrometric techniques have had a major impact on the analysis of large biomolecules matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). MALDI-MS was first introduced by Karas and Hillenkamp66 and Tanaka et al.61 in 1988 and has experienced an exponential development. It has become a widespread soft ionization technique for bioorganic samples, especially large biomolecules. Fenn and co-workers68 first published the successful soft ionization technique for... 

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