Complete and selective nitration of tyrosine residue in peptides caused by ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization.

Complete and highly selective nitration of tyrosine (Tyr) as a residue-specific modification in peptides was found without side reactions, using ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (UV-MALDI) with a nitroaromatic reagent 3, 5-dinitrosalicylic acid (3,5-DNSA). The tyrosine nitration supported two propositions, namely, the UV-induced. NO2 attack reaction mechanism by Long et al. and the C-NO2 homolysis as a thermal process by Wiik et al. and Furman et al. With the UV-MALDI of peptides, a residue-specific reaction was observed in glycine (Gly) residue, i.e., an oxidation of the alpha-carbon of Gly due to attack of hydroxyl radical (.OH).

Transient Conformations Leading to Peptide Fragment Ion [c + 2H]+ via Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding Using MALDI In-source Decay Mass Spectrometry of Serine-, Threonine-, and/or Cysteine-Containing Peptides.

The formation of a peptide fragment ion [c + 2H]+ was examined using ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay mass spectrometry (UV/MALDI-ISD MS). Unusually, an ISD experiment with a hydrogen-abstracting oxidative matrix 4-nitro-1-naphthol (4,1-NNL) resulted in a [c + 2H]+ ion when the analyte peptides contained serine (Ser), threonine (Thr), and/or cysteine (Cys) residues, although the ISD with 4,1-NNL merely resulted in [a]+ and [d]+ ions. The [c + 2H]+ ion observed could be rationalized through intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), like a Type-II reaction via a seven-membered conformation involving intramolecular hydrogen bonding (HB) between the active hydrogens (-OH and -SH) of the Ser/Thr/Cys residues and the backbone carbonyl oxygen at the adjacent amino (N)-terminal side residue. The ISD of the Cys-containing peptide resulted in the [c + 2H]+ ions, which originated from cleavage at the backbone N-Cα bonds far from the Cys residue, suggesting that the peptide molecule formed 16- and 22-membered transient conformations in the gas phase. The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations of the model structures of the Ser and Cys residues indicated that the Cys residue did not show a constructive bond interaction between the donor thiol (-SH) and carbonyl oxygen (=CO), while the Ser residue formed a distinct intramolecular HB.

Influence of hydrophilic additives on the signal intensity in electrospray ionization of flavonoid glycosides.

RATIONALE: The influence of hydrophilic additives glycine, glucose, and glycerol on electrospray ionization (ESI) signal intensity of flavonoid glycosides and a nonreducing disaccharide is examined. The addition of excess glycine to the ESI solution would affect signal intensity more than glucose and glycerol due to its strong hydration capability. METHODS: The ESI signal response upon the addition of excess additives prepared was estimated in both selected ion monitoring and scan mode. All the mass spectrometry data were acquired in negative ion mode, because negative ion mode is recommended for saccharide compounds. RESULTS: The addition of glycine to the ESI solution of flavonoid glycosides and trehalose enhanced signal intensity, whereas the addition of glucose and glycerol had little effect. The signal intensity of rutin was higher than that of naringin and hesperidin, in accordance with their solubility in ESI solution. Trehalose molecules specifically interacted with glycine molecules to form a 1:1 trehalose-glycine complex, whereas the flavonoid glycosides did not produce such complex ions. CONCLUSIONS: The ESI signal enhancement of the saccharides with the additive glycine can be explained by its strong hydration capability, with the deprotonated carboxylic oxygens of zwitterionic glycine molecules strongly interacting with water hydrogen atoms resulting in strong hydration enthalpy. Consequently, glycine molecules set the analytes free from solvation with water molecules in the ESI droplets.

Improvement in ionization efficiency of direct analysis in real time-mass spectrometry (DART-MS) by corona discharge.

Herein it is shown that a combination of direct analysis in real time (DART) with a corona discharge system consisting of only a needle electrode easily improves DART ionization efficiency. Positive and negative DC corona discharges led to a formation of abundant excited helium atoms as well as the reactant ions H3O(+)(H2O)n and O2˙(-) in the DART analyte ionization area. These phenomena resulted in an increase in the absolute intensities of (de)protonated analytes by a factor of 2-20 over conventional DART. The other analyte ions detected in this corona-DART system (i.e., molecular ions, fragment ions, oxygenated (de)protonated analytes, dehydrogenated deprotonated analytes, and negative ion adducts) were quite similar to those obtained from DART alone. This indicates a lack of side reactions due to the corona discharge. The change in the relative intensities of individual analyte-related ions due to the combination of a corona discharge system with DART suggests that there is no effect of the abundant excited helium in the analyte ionization area on the fragmentation processes or enhancement of oxidation due to hydroxyl radicals HO˙. Furthermore, it was found that the corona-DART combination can be applied to the highly sensitive analysis of n-alkanes, in which the alkanes are ionized as positive ions via hydride abstraction and oxidation, independent of the type of alkane or the mass spectrometer used.

Intracellular Metabolism of α,ß-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds, Acrolein, Crotonaldehyde and Methyl Vinyl Ketone, Active Toxicants in Cigarette Smoke: Participation of Glutathione Conjugation Ability and Aldehyde-Ketone Sensitive Reductase Activity.

The major toxicants in cigarette smoke, α,ß-unsaturated aldehydes, such as acrolein (ACR) and crotonaldehyde (CA), and α,ß-unsaturated ketone, methyl vinyl ketone (MVK), are known to form Michael-type adducts with glutathione (GSH) and consequently cause intracellular GSH depletion, which is involved in cigarette smoke-induced cytotoxicity. We have previously clarified that exposure to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) of a mouse melanoma cell culture medium causes rapid reduction of intracellular GSH levels, and that the GSH-MVK adduct can be detected by LC/MS analysis while the GSH-CA adduct is hardly detected. In the present study, to clarify why the GSH-CA adduct is difficult to detect in the cell medium, we conducted detailed investigation of the structures of the reaction products of ACR, CA, MVK and CSE in the GSH solution or the cell culture medium. The mass spectra indicated that in the presence of the cells, the GSH-CA and GSH-ACR adducts were almost not detected while their corresponding alcohols were detected. On the other hand, both the GSH-MVK adducts and their reduced products were detected. In the absence of the cells, the reaction of GSH with all α,ß-unsaturated carbonyls produced only their corresponding adducts. These results show that the GSH adducts of α,ß-unsaturated aldehydes, CA and ACR, are quickly reduced by certain intracellular carbonyl reductase(s) and excreted from the cells, unlike the GSH adduct of α,ß-unsaturated ketone, MVK. Such a difference in reactivity to the carbonyl reductase might be related to differences in the cytotoxicity of α,ß-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones.

Influence of hydrophobicity on positive- and negative-ion yields of peptides in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: The influence of hydrophobicity originating from an amino acid phenylalanine (Phe) residue on the ion yields of peptides has been empirically evaluated using positive- and negative-ion electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. The enhancement effect of hydrophobicity was compared with that of the presence of basic and acidic residues of peptides. METHODS: In order to empirically understand the ion yields in soft ionization methods, we have divided the total ionization process into ionization efficiency of analyte molecules and the rate of desorption or vaporization of molecules. The ion yields of protonated and deprotonated molecules of peptides were evaluated. RESULTS: The presence of a Phe residue resulted in an increase in the ion yields of both the analyte ions [M + nH](n+) and [M-nH](n-). The relationship between the ion yields and hydrophobicities of peptides was evaluated using the partition coefficient measured by thin-layer chromatography (PACTLC). A peptide containing a Phe residue at its C-terminus gave a higher ion yield than when it was at the N-terminus. CONCLUSIONS: The ion yields of peptides increased with increasing hydrophobicity both in positive- and negative-ion ESI. The enhancement effect of hydrophobicity on the ion yields was higher than that of basicity and acidity of the peptides in ESI.

Ionization characteristics of amino acids in direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry.

The positive and negative ionization characteristics of 20 different α-amino acids were investigated using Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) mass spectrometry. Almost all of the amino acids M were ionized to generate the (de)protonated analytes [M ± H](±)via proton transfer reactions with the typical background ions H3O(+)(H2O)n and O2˙(-) and resonant electron capture by M. The application of DART to amino acids also resulted in molecular ion formation, fragmentation, oxidations involving oxygen attachment and hydrogen loss, and formation of adducts [M + R](-) with negative background ions R(-) (O2˙(-), HCO2(-), NO2(-) and COO(-)(COOH)), depending on the physicochemical and/or structural properties of individual amino acids. The relationship between each amino acid and the ionization reactions observed suggested that fragmentation can be attributed to pyrolysis during analyte desorption as well as excess energy obtained via (de)protonation. Oxidation and [M + R](-) adduct formation, in contrast, most likely originate from reactions with active oxygen such as hydroxyl radicals HO˙, indicating that the typical background neutral species involved in analyte ionization in DART mass spectrometry contain HO˙.

Methyl vinyl ketone, a toxic ingredient in cigarette smoke extract, modifies glutathione in mouse melanoma cells.

Cigarette smoke contains many harmful chemicals, which contribute to the pathogenesis of smoking-related diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The cytotoxicity of cigarette smoke is well documented, but the definitive mechanism behind its toxicity remains unknown. Ingredients in cigarette smoke are known to deplete intracellular glutathione (GSH), the most abundant cellular thiol antioxidant, and to cause oxidative stress. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism of cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced cytotoxicity in B16-BL6 mouse melanoma (B16-BL6) cells using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. CSE and ingredients in cigarette smoke, methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and crotonaldehyde (CA), reduced cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Also, CSE and the ingredients (m/z 70, each) irreversibly reacted with GSH (m/z 308) to form GSH adducts (m/z 378) in cells and considerably decreased cellular GSH levels at concentrations that do not cause cell death. Mass spectral data showed that the major product formed in cells exposed to CSE was the GSH-MVK adduct via Michael-addition and was not the GSH-CA adduct. These results indicate that MVK included in CSE reacts with GSH in cells to form the GSH-MVK adduct, and thus a possible reason for CSE-induced cytotoxicity is a decrease in intracellular GSH levels.

Access of hydrogen-radicals to the peptide-backbone as a measure for estimating the flexibility of proteins using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

A factor for estimating the flexibility of proteins is described that uses a cleavage method of "in-source decay (ISD)" coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS). The MALDI-ISD spectra of bovine serum albumin (BSA), myoglobin and thioredoxin show discontinuous intense ion peaks originating from one-side preferential cleavage at the N-Cα bond of Xxx-Asp, Xxx-Asn, Xxx-Cys and Gly-Xxx residues. Consistent with these observations, Asp, Asn and Gly residues are also identified by other flexibility measures such as B-factor, turn preference, protection and fluorescence decay factors, while Asp, Asn, Cys and Gly residues are identified by turn preference factor based on X-ray crystallography. The results suggest that protein molecules embedded in/on MALDI matrix crystals partly maintain α-helix and that the reason some of the residues are more susceptible to ISD (Asp, Asn, Cys and Gly) and others less so (Ile and Val) is because of accessibility of the peptide backbone to hydrogen-radicals from matrix molecules. The hydrogen-radical accessibility in MALDI-ISD could therefore be adopted as a factor for measuring protein flexibility.

5-Amino-1-naphthol, a novel 1,5-naphthalene derivative matrix suitable for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay of phosphorylated peptides.

RATIONALE: Although matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) is an important method for post-translational modification (PTM) analysis, the conventional matrices, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB) and 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (1,5-DAN), are poor in terms of the fragment ion yields of the phosphorylated peptides. The use of 5-amino-1-naphthol (5,1-ANL) as a novel matrix for ISD of phosphorylated peptides in MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) is described here. METHODS: We have evaluated the ion yields of ISD fragments obtained from phosphorylated peptides using three 1,5-naphthalene derivatives as MALDI-ISD matrices, i.e., 5,1-ANL, 1,5-DAN and 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene (1,5-DHN). The signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of c'-series ions obtained from these matrices was used to estimate their suitability for MALDI-ISD of non-modified and phosphorylated peptides. RESULTS: The order of the S/N values of the ISD fragments for non-modified and phosphorylated peptides were 1,5-DAN > 5,1-ANL > 1,5-DHN and 5,1-ANL > 1,5-DHN > 1,5-DAN, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The newly introduced matrix 5,1-ANL gave highest ion yields of ISD fragments from mono-, di-, and tetraphosphorylated peptides, while 1,5-DAN was poor in the ISD ion yields for phosphorylated peptides.

A chemical approach to searching for bioactive ingredients in cigarette smoke.

Cigarette smoke, a collection of many toxic chemicals, contributes to the pathogenesis of smoking-related diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. Much work has been done on the chemical analysis of ingredients in cigarette smoke, but there are few reports on the active ingredients that can modify biomolecules. We used a sensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and LC/MS/MS method to show that L-tyrosine (Tyr), an amino acid with a highly reactive hydroxyl group, readily reacts with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) at body temperature (37°C) to form various Tyr derivatives. Among these derivatives were N-(3-oxobutyl)-Tyr and two acetylated compounds, N-acetyl-Tyr and O-acetyl-Tyr, which were synthesized by reaction of Tyr with methyl vinyl ketone and acetic anhydride, respectively, at 37°C. The presence of methyl vinyl ketone and acetic anhydride in CSE was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). These results indicate that Tyr can easily react with active ingredients in CSE. The present analytical methods should aid the search for active ingredients in cigarette smoke.

Identification of Negative Ion at m/z 20 Produced by Atmospheric Pressure Corona Discharge Ionization under Ambient Air.

The negative ion at m/z 20 observed at atmospheric pressure corona discharge ionization mass spectra has been identified by supplying the vapors of deuterium oxide (D2O) and H218O. From the mass shifts of the ion at m/z 20 observed with D2O and H218O, it was suggested that the chemical composition of the ion at m/z 20 is to be H4O. Further mass shift from m/z 20 to 22 was observed by supplying the vapor of perfluorokerocene, suggesting the chemical composition of H3F. The chemical compositions of the negative ions H4O- and H3F- were consistence with the dipole-bound complex states between hydrogen H2 and polar molecules such as H2O and hydrogen fluoride (HF) having dipole moments beyond a critical dipole moment of 1.625 D, theoretically proposed by Skurski and Simons. The ionic chemical compositions and structures of H4O- and H3F- obtained with density functional theory calculations implied that both dipole-bound complex H2O-…H2 and HF-…H2 can be formed by exothermic reactions by which H2 molecule is complexing with negative ions H2O- and HF-, respectively.

Quantum Chemical Analysis of Molecular and Fragment Ions Produced by Field Ionization of Methyl Stearate.

The formation of molecular and fragment ions observed in the field ionization mass spectrum of methyl stearate has been analyzed on the basis of quantum chemical calculations including time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The TDDFT calculations suggest that methyl stearate is ionized via two processes, namely a 7.43 eV excitation and a tunneling effect, while the high electric field of 1010 V/m enables analyte molecules to ionize at an effective 6 eV lower than the 9.26 eV ionization energy. The NBO analysis suggests that the abundances of aliphatic fragment ions [CnH2n+1]+ at m/z 29, 43, and 57 generated in the ionizing cell can be rationalized by hyperconjugation between the sigma (σ)-electrons of sp3 C-H bonds of methyl or methylene groups and the empty p-orbital of the carbocation -CH2+. The C4 periodic methyl ester fragment ions at m/z 115-269 and the complementary McLafferty rearrangement fragment ion at m/z 224 can be explained by metastable ion decay with rearrangement reactions in the ion source.

Understanding the mechanism of CO2-Assisted electrospray ionization for parameter optimization in supercritical fluid chromatography mass spectrometry.

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is often coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) for analyte detection because of its detection capability to a wide range of chemical properties. However, MS sensitivity is highly dependent on the chromatographic conditions, so that it is important to understand the ionization mechanism to determine the optimal chromatographic conditions. The ionization mechanism in SFC/ESI-MS is different to that of liquid chromatography because of the use of CO2 as a mobile phase. Some studies have suggested that alkoxycarbonic acids are formed in the mixture of CO2 and the alcohol modifier, and these species contribute to ionization in CO2-assisted SFC/ESI-MS. Therefore, in this study, we investigated CO2-assisted ESI to test this hypothesis, and we confirmed that methoxylcarbonic acid is generated in CO2/methanol mixtures and contributed to ion generation and detection because it acts as a proton donor in positive-ion mode. However, methoxylcarbonic acid interfered with ionization in negative-ion mode. Addition of ammonium acetate, which is often added to the modifier for negative ion detection in SFC/MS analysis, did not contribute to the recovery of MS sensitivity, although it tended to suppress the formation of metoxylcarbonic acid. This is likely due to ion suppression and neutralization of the negative sites of the analytes by anions or cations derived from ammonium acetate in the negative ion mode. Thus, additive-free methanol/CO2 was the most suitable mobile phase for obtaining high sensitivity in SFC/MS. To demonstrate the practicality of these findings, we tested our optimal mobile phase selection for pesticide analysis. In addition, we tested the addition of 0, 1, and 5 mM ammonium formate to the modifier and make-up solvent, and found that the addition of 1 mM ammonium formate gave the best results in pesticides analysis. In SFC/MS, salt is often added to improve separation or prevent desorption, but our findings suggest that the concentration of salt must be kept as low as possible to achieve highly sensitive MS detection. The results of this study reveal the best selection of the optimal conditions for the modifier and make-up solvent for CO2-assisted SFC/MS analysis and will be useful for the method development in SFC/MS.

Sensitive and resistant of the homologous disulfide-bridged proteins α-lactalbumin and lysozyme to attack of hydrogen-atoms, dithiothreitol and trifluoroacetic acid, examined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Evolutionarily homologous proteins bovine α-lactoalbumin (αLA) and hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) are very similar in primary, secondary and tertiary structures involving the location of disulfide-bridges (S-S), and are resistant to the action of hydrolytic enzymes and reagents. It is of interest to examine and compare the difference in backbone cleavage characteristics, by using reductive and hydrolytic reagents. METHODS: In-source decay (ISD) combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS), reductive treatment of αLA and HEL with dithiothreitol (DTT) and acid hydrolysis with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) were employed to examine the difference in the backbone cleavage characteristics of αLA and HEL. RESULTS: The treatment of αLA and HEL with DTT/AcOHNH3 resulted in similar cleavage behaviors of the backbone N-Cα and S-S bonds, i.e., the enhancements of the intensity and m/z range of sequence-reflected fragment ions were very similar. However, the treatment of αLA with DTT/TFA resulted in unexpected residue-specific degradation at the peptide bond of the Asp-Xxx, Xxx-Ser/Thr, Gln-Xxx, Xxx-Gly and Gly-Xxx residues, while HEL did not occur such degradation. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained above indicate that acidic αLA is very sensitive to acidic additive such as TFA, while basic HEL is resistance to acidic additives. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The study demonstrates the sensitive and resistant of evolutionary homologous proteins αLA and HEL to the acid hydrolysis and these characters come from acidic and basic nature of the proteins.

Specific cleavage at peptide backbone Cα-C and CO-N bonds during matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay mass spectrometry with 5-nitrosalicylic acid as the matrix.

The use of 5-nitrosalicylic acid (5-NSA) as a matrix for in-source decay (ISD) of peptides during matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) is described herein. Mechanistically, the decay process is initiated by a hydrogen abstraction from a peptide backbone amide nitrogen by 5-NSA. Hydrogen abstraction results in formation of an oxidized peptide containing a radical amide nitrogen. Subsequently, the C(α)-C bond N-terminal to the peptide bond is cleaved to form an a·/x fragment pair. The C(α)-C bonds C-terminal to Gly residues were less susceptible to cleavage than were those of other residues. C(α)-C bonds N-terminal to Pro and Sar residues were not cleaved by the aforementioned mechanism; instead, after hydrogen abstraction from a Pro or Sar C(α)-H bond, the peptide bond N-terminal to the Pro was cleaved yielding b- and y-series ions. We also show that fragments produced by MALDI 5-NSA-induced ISD were formed independently of the ionization process.

Ion mobility and collision-induced dissociation analysis of carbonic anhydrase 2.

Folding analysis of the zinc protein, carbonic anhydrase 2 (CA2), was performed using electrospray ionization ion mobility spectrometry coupled with collision-induced dissociation (ESI IMS/CID). Multiply protonated ions with a bimodal charge state distribution were observed indicating the presence of at least two folding states for gas-phase CA2 ions as was described in a previous study (Nabuchi, Y.; Murao, N.; Asoh, Y.; Takayama, M. Anal. Chem. 2007, 79, 8342-8349). In the IMS driftgram, several ions with different mobility were observed for each multiply charged ion, and this suggests that CA2 ions consist of several components with different folding states. IMS/CID spectra were acquired against precursor ions separated by mobility. The CID spectra gave several characteristic product ions including those from the N- and C-terminal region of CA2. A shift to larger charge number for the most abundant of the several product ions was observed for ions having a larger drift time. This charge number shift indicates that the folding state of the ion is more unfolded. Furthermore, differences in the production of an ion corresponding to the N-terminal side fragment gave information about the unfolding process of CA2.

Analysis of oxidation process of cholecystokinin octapeptide with reactive oxygen species by high-performance liquid chromatography and subsequent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

The C-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin (CCK8) includes some easily oxidizable amino acids. The oxidation of CCK8 by reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and hydroxyl radicals (OH(*)) was investigated using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and subsequent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The mechanism of oxidation of CCK8 in the H(2)O(2) system differed from that of CCK8 in the Fenton system, in which OH(*) are produced. In the H(2)O(2) system, (28)Met and (31)Met were oxidized to methionine sulfoxide, and no further oxidation or degradation/hydrolysis occurred. On the other hand, in the Fenton system, (28)Met and (31)Met residues were oxidized to methionine sulfone via the formation of methionine sulfoxide. In addition, the oxidized product was observed at the Trp residue but not at the Tyr residue, and small peptide fragments from CCK8 were observed in the Fenton system. From these results, it was concluded that (28)Met and (31)Met residues of CCK8 are susceptible to oxidation by ROS.

Negative and positive ion mode LC/MS/MS for simple, sensitive analysis of sorbic acid.

Sorbic acid (SA: CH(3)-CH=CH-CH=CH-COOH) is one of the widely used food preservatives, although there have been some reports of its toxic activity, for example, on DNA and skin cells. In order to examine the effects of SA on mammalian tissues, we have developed a highly sensitive analytical method using LC/MS/MS with positive and negative ion mode electrospray ionization (ESI). In a previous study, we found that a nonacidic eluent offers better ionization efficiency than acids or their ammoniun salts. However, optimal results could not be obtained because the anion form of SA is poorly retained on a conventional reversed phase column. To resolve this problem, we chose a new type of column and used high-resolution mass spectrometry and positive ion mode analysis. There have only been a few reports using these methods in the positive mode, for example derivatized SA, because acid compounds such as SA are usually used in the negative ion mode. However, a new type of low-carbon-content and polar-endcapped C18 phase column was developed for better separation of SA from the matrix. High-resolution selected reaction monitoring (SRM) gave the best signal to noise ratio in normal-resolution SRM. In the positive ion mode, the CH(3)OH-0.05% HCOOH/0.1% CH(3)COOH eluent system yielded the best ionization efficiency. We propose a highly sensitive and simple analysis using a two-ion-mode ESI SRM method. Such systems should allow quantification of the amount of SA in or around the cells, without the need for pretreatment such as solid phase extraction.

Matrix-dependent a/x pair and overdegraded w/y/z ions generated by radical-directed dissociation of peptide radical cations [M]+ in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay.

Fragmentation of peptide radical cations [M]. + has been examined using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) in-source decay (ISD) with hydrogen-abstracting nitro-substituted matrices. The ISD spectra of peptides containing an arginine (Arg) residue at carboxyl (C)-termini showed preferential [w]+ ions when 4-nitro-1-naphthol (4,1-NNL) matrix was used, whereas the use of 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (3,5-DNSA) resulted in preferential [x]+ ions. Minor or some [d]+ , [x]+ , [y]+ , and [z]+ ions were also observed. For peptides containing Arg residue at amino (N)-termini, the ISD spectra showed preferential [a]+ ions independent of matrix used. The observed [a]+ , [w]+ , [x]+ , [y]+ , and [z]+ ions can be rationally explained by radical-directed dissociation (RDD) of the peptide radical cations [M]. + , although [d]+ ions may be formed via Norrish Type I cleavage and/or by RDD of [M]. + ions. The formation of overdegraded [d]+ , [w]+ , [y]+ , and [z]+ ions is discussed from the standpoint of the internal energy of radical cations [M]. + and radical fragment ions [a + H]. + and [x + H]. + deposited via collisional interactions with excited matrix molecules in the MALDI plume. The radical site of the peptide cations [M]. + was presumed to be backbone amide nitrogen, from MALDI-ISD data with three different deuterated amino acids.