Targeted Proteomics of Human Metapneumovirus in Clinical Samples and Viral Cultures.

The rapid, sensitive, and specific identification of infectious pathogens from clinical isolates is a critical need in the hospital setting. Mass spectrometry (MS) has been widely adopted for identification of bacterial pathogens, although polymerase chain reaction remains the mainstay for the identification of viral pathogens. Here, we explored the capability of MS for the detection of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a common cause of respiratory tract infections in children. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) sequencing of a single HMPV reference strain (CAN97-83) was used to develop a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) assay that employed stable isotope-labeled peptide internal standards for quantitation of HMPV. Using this assay, we confirmed the presence of HMPV in viral cultures from 10 infected patients and further assigned genetic lineage based on the presence/absence of variant peptides belonging to the viral matrix and nucleoproteins. Similar results were achieved for primary clinical samples (nasopharyngeal aspirates) from the same individuals. As validation, virus lineages, and variant coding sequences, were confirmed by next-generation sequencing of viral RNA obtained from the culture samples. Finally, separate dilution series of HMPV A and B lineages were used to further refine and assess the robustness of the assay and to determine limits of detection in nasopharyngeal aspirates. Our results demonstrate the applicability of MRM for identification of HMPV, and assignment of genetic lineage, from both viral cultures and clinical samples. More generally, this approach should prove tractable as an alternative to nucleic-acid based sequencing for the multiplexed identification of respiratory virus infections.

Characterization of low-temperature cofired ceramic tiles as platforms for gas chromatographic separations.

A gas chromatography (GC) column is fabricated within a low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) tile, and its analytical properties are characterized. By using a dual-spiral design, a 100 µm wide square channel up to 15 m in length is produced within an 11 cm × 5.5 cm LTCC tile. The channel is dynamically coated with an OV-101 stationary phase that is cross-linked with dicumyl peroxide. While the uncoated LTCC tiles were able to separate a mixture of n-alkanes, the peak shapes were broad (base width of ~2 min) and tailing. In contrast to this, the coated LTCC tiles produced sharp (base width of ~8-10 s), symmetrical, well-resolved peaks for the same analytes. By using a 7.5 m long channel, about 15,000 plates were obtained for a dodecane test analyte. Further, the coated LTCC tiles were found to produce plate heights that were about 3-fold smaller than those obtained from a conventional capillary GC column of similar length, dimension, and coating operated under the same conditions. As a result, test analyte separations were slightly improved in the LTCC tiles, and their overall performance fared well. In terms of temperature programming, it was found that a series of n-alkanes separated on the LTCC tile provided a cumulative peak capacity of around 54 peaks when using C8 to C13 as analyte markers. Results indicate that LTCC tiles provide a viable and useful alternative platform for performing good quality GC separations.

High-speed and high-resolution UPLC separation at zero degrees Celsius.

The conformational properties of proteins can be probed with hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HXMS). In order to maintain the deuterium label during LC/MS analyses, chromatographic separation must be done rapidly (usually in under 8-10 min) and at 0 degrees C. Traditional RP-HPLC with approximately 3-mum particles has shown generally poor chromatographic performance under these conditions and thereby has been prohibitive for HXMS analyses of larger proteins and many protein complexes. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) employs particles smaller than 2 mum in diameter to achieve superior resolution, speed, and sensitivity as compared to HPLC. UPLC has previously been shown to be compatible with the fast separation and low temperature requirements of HXMS. Here we present construction and validation of a custom UPLC system for HXMS. The system is based on the Waters nanoACQUITY platform and contains a Peltier-cooled module that houses the injection and switching valves, online pepsin digestion column, and C-18 analytical separation column. Single proteins in excess of 95 kDa and a four-protein mixture in excess of 250 kDa have been used to validate the performance of this new system. Near-baseline resolution was achieved in 6-min separations at 0 degrees C and displayed a median chromatographic peak width of approximately 2.7 s at half-height. Deuterium recovery was similar to that obtained using a conventional HPLC and ice bath. This new system represents a significant advancement in HXMS technology that is expected to make the technique more accessible and mainstream in the near future.

Chromatographic performance of microfluidic liquid chromatography devices: Experimental evaluation of straight versus serpentine packed channels.

We prepared a series of planar titanium microfluidic (µLC) columns, each 100 mm long, with 0.15, 0.3 and 0.5 mm i.d.'s. The microfluidic columns were packed with 1.8 µm C18 sorbent and tested under isocratic and gradient conditions. The efficiency and peak capacity of these devices were monitored using a micro LC instrument with minimal extra column dispersion. Columns with serpentine channels were shown to perform worse than those with straight channels. The loss of efficiency and peak capacity was more prominent for wider i.d. columns, presumably due to on-column band broadening imparted by the so-called "race-track" effect. The loss of chromatographic performance was partially mitigated by tapering the turns (reduction in i.d. through the curved region). While good performance was obtained for 0.15 mm i.d. devices even without turn tapering, the performance of 0.3 mm i.d. columns could be brought on par with capillary LC devices by tapering down to 2/3 of the nominal channel width in the turn regions. The loss of performance was not fully compensated for in 0.5 mm devices even when tapering was employed; 30% loss in efficiency and 10% loss in peak capacity was observed. The experimental data for various devices were compared using the expected theoretical relationship between peak capacity Pc and efficiency N; (Pc-1) = N0.5 × const. While straight µLC columns showed the expected behavior, the devices with serpentine channels did not adhere to the plot. The results suggest that the loss of efficiency due to the turns is more pronounced than the corresponding loss of peak capacity.