Selective Fishing for Peptides with Antibody-Immobilized Acrylate Monoliths, Coupled Online with NanoLC-MS.

An online microfluidics-mass spectrometry platform was developed for determining proteotypic peptides from in-solution digested samples. Accelerated and selective sample cleanup was achieved by integrating proteotypic epitope peptide immunoextraction with nano liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (online IE-nanoLC-MS/MS). Ten individually prepared 180 µm inner diameter capillaries with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate- co-vinyl azlactone (EDMA- co-VDM) monoliths were immobilized with anti-protein antibodies that are used in routine immunoassays of the intact small cell lung cancer biomarker ProGRP. The resulting AB columns provided linearity correlation coefficients of 0.96-0.99 for protein amounts and concentrations of 10 pg to 5 ng and 0.5-250 ng/mL, respectively. The columns/platform gave relative peak area RSDs below 15%. The IE-nanoLC-MS/MS platform provided a limit of detection (LOD) of 520 pg/mL of ProGRP in human serum. The approach was applicable for other matrixes and proteins, i.e., primary glioblastoma cells and endogenous αV integrin chain. Thus, EDMA- co-VDM monoliths immobilized with antibodies are suited for automated peptide capture in microfluidic formats.

Immunocapture sample clean-up in determination of low abundant protein biomarkers - a feasibility study of peptide capture by anti-protein antibodies.

Immunocapture in mass spectrometry based targeted protein analysis using a bottom-up workflow is nowadays mainly performed by target protein extraction using anti-protein antibodies followed by tryptic digestion. Already available monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) which were developed against intact target proteins (anti-protein antibodies) can capture proteotypic epitope containing peptides after tryptic digestion of the sample. In the present paper considerations when developing a method for targeted protein quantitation through capture of epitope containing peptides are discussed and a method applying peptide capture by anti-protein antibodies is compared with conventional immunocapture MS. The model protein used for this purpose was progastrin releasing peptide (ProGRP), a validated low abundant biomarker for Small Cell Lung Cancer with reference values in serum in the pg mL-1 range. A set of mAbs which bind linear epitopes of ProGRP are available, and after a theoretical consideration, three mAbs (E146, E149 and M18) were evaluated for extraction of proteotypic epitope peptides from a complex sample. M18 was the best performing mAb for peptide capture by anti-protein antibodies, matching the LOD (54 pg mL-1) and LOQ (181 pg mL-1) of the existing conventional immunocapture LC-MS/MS method for determination of ProGRP. Peptide and protein capture using the same mAb were also compared with respect to sample clean-up, and the peptide capture workflow yielded cleaner extracts and therewith less complex chromatograms. Analysis of five patient samples demonstrated that peptide capture by anti-protein antibodies can be used for the determination of various levels of endogenously present ProGRP.

Evaluation of affinity-based serum clean-up in mass spectrometric analysis: Plastic vs monoclonal antibodies.

Mass spectrometric assays are now of great relevance for trace compound analysis in complex matrices such as serum and plasma samples. Especially in the quantification of low abundant protein-biomarkers, the choice of the sample preparation is crucial. In the present paper immunocapture and Molecular Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) have been applied in the determination of pro-gastrin-releasing peptide, a Small Cell Lung Cancer marker. These affinity-based techniques were compared in terms of matrix effect, limits of detection, repeatability and extraction specificity. In addition, protein precipitation was included for comparison as it is a typical sample preparation method of biological matrices. The results highlighted differences in the methods' performance and specificity, strongly affecting the outcome of the mass spectrometric determination. Plastic and monoclonal antibodies confirmed to be sensitive and specific sample preparations able to determine ProGRP at clinical relevant concentration, although only the use of monoclonal antibodies allowed the reliable quantification of ProGRP at reference levels (8pM). In addition better insight in the specificity of the three sample preparation techniques was gained. This might also be of interest for other biological applications.