Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization measurement

The ablated vapors constitute an aerosol that can be examined using a secondary ionization source. Thus, passing the aerosol into a plasma torch provides an excellent means of ionization, and by such methods isotope patterns or ratios are readily measurable from otherwise intractable materials such as bone or ceramics. If the sample examined is dissolved as a solid solution in a matrix, the rapid expansion of the matrix, often an organic acid, covolatilizes the entrained sample. Proton transfer from the matrix occurs to give protonated molecular ions of the sample. Normally thermally unstable, polar biomolecules such as proteins give good yields of protonated ions. This is the basis of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI). 

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is a method for obtaining sequence and structural information by measurement of the mass-to-charge ratios of ionized molecules before and after dissociation reactions within a mass spectrometer which consists essentially of two mass spectrometers in tandem. In the first step, precursor ions are selected for further fragmentation by energy impact and interaction with a collision gas. The generated product ions can be analyzed by a second scan step. MS/MS measurements of peptides can be performed using electrospray or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in combination with triple quadruple, ion trap, quadrupole-TOF (time-of-flight), TOF-TOF or ion cyclotron resonance MS. Tandem... 

Considering these situations, the observation of molecular weights, particularly by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF MASS), is essential [33]. The operation is simple and enables us to observe the molecular ion peaks of CPOs with molecular weights exceeding 10,000. The quahty of the measurement is strongly dependent on the choice of the matrix. Therefore, the search for the best matrix for each CPO should be pursued. 

We have used accurate mass measurements obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) to differentiate and profile saponins from M. truncatula roots. An example is provided (Fig.3.11) showing the MALDI-TOFMS spectra of a solid-phase extract of M truncatula root tissue. In this spectrum, we can identify multiple saponins. 

A modified version of 2DE and gel image analysis, with silver staining, autoradiography, and protein identification and measurement of peptide mass, uses matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) as a rapid and sensitive technique for identifying peptides. MALDI-TOF-MS applies well to protein detection in biological fluids.56 A second advantage of this technique is... 

S. Ring and Y. Rudich. A Comparative Study of a Liquid and a Solid Matrix in Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry and Collision Cross Section Measurements. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 14(2000) 515-519. 

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. 

The product was identihed by a number of spectroscopic methods. Dioxygen uptake was measured by spectrophotometric titration. MALDI-TOF-MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry), an MS method particularly suited to determining molecular masses of biopolymers and synthetic materials with relative masses up to several hundred kilodaltons, determined that the product contained stoichiometric amounts of the heme starting material, the copper complex, and dioxygen in a 1 1 1 ratio. 

There are at least three possibile ways in which the inhibitor can bind to the active site (1) formation of a sulfide bond to a cysteine residue, with elimination of hydrogen bromide [Eq. (10)], (2) formation of a thiol ester bond with a cysteine residue at the active site [Eq. (11)], and (3) formation of a salt between the carboxyl group of the inhibitor and some basic side chain of the enzyme [Eq. (12)]. To distinguish between these three possibilities, the mass numbers of the enzyme and enzyme-inhibitor complex were measured with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI). The mass number of the native AMDase was observed as 24766, which is in good agreement with the calculated value, 24734. An aqueous solution of a-bromo-phenylacetic acid was added to the enzyme solution, and the mass spectrum of the complex was measured after 10 minutes. The peak is observed at mass number 24967. If the inhibitor and the enzyme bind to form a sulfide with elimination of HBr, the mass number should be 24868, which is smaller by about one... 

Kang, M.-J., Tholey, A., Heinzle, E. Application of automated matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the measurement of enzyme activities. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2001, 15, 1327-1333. 

Powell, K.D. Fitzgerald, M.C. Measurements of protein stability by H/D exchange and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry using picomoles of material. Ancd. Chem. 2001, 73, 3300-3304. 

Fukai, T., Kuroda, J., and Nomura, T., Accurate mass measurement of low molecular weight compounds by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., 11, 458, 2000. 

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOFF) measures the mass of the peptides... 

In 1974, Comarisov and Marshall60 developed Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS). This technique allows mass spectrometric measurements at ultrahigh mass resolution (R = 100000-1000000), which is higher than that of any other type of mass spectrometer and has the highest mass accuracy at attomole detection limits. FTICR-MS is applied today together with soft ionization techniques, such as nano ESI (electrospray ionization) or MALDI (matrix assisted laser/desorption ionization) sources. 

Major methods for introducing proteins and other macromolecules into mass spectrometers are electrospray and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI).18-27 Most often, MALDI is used with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, which can measure mlz up to 106. Typically, 1 p,L of a 10 jxM solution of analyte is mixed with 1 p,L of a 1-100 mM solution of an ultraviolet-absorbing compound such as 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (the matrix) directly on a probe that fits into the source of the spectrometer. Evaporation of the liquid leaves an intimate mixture of fine crystals of matrix plus analyte. 

Hsieh, Y., Casale, R., Fukuda, E., Chen, J., Knemeyer, I., Wingate, J., Morrison, R., and Korfmacher, W. (2006a). Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry for direct measurement of clozapine in rat brain tissue. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 20 965-972. 

Usually, owing to insolubility or unacceptable buffers, large protein fragments are not beneficially analyzed by ESI-MS. However, the identity of stable domains of protein molecules can still be inferred from the accurate mass measurements of the smaller polypeptide fragments obtained from limited proteolysis. This provides a basis for resolving the compact domains for proteins in situations where matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) data are ambiguous and ESI-MS of the large protein may be precluded. 

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