Automated quality control system for LC-SRM setups

Abstract

Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) is emerging as a standard tool for high-throughput protein quantification. For reliable and reproducible SRM protein quantification it is essential that system performance is stable. We present here a quality control workflow that is based on repeated analysis of a standard sample to allow insight into the stability of the key properties of a SRM setup. This is supported by automated software to monitor system performance and display information like signal intensities and retention time stability over time, and alert upon deviations from expected metrics. Utilising the software to evaluate 407 repeated injections of a standard sample during half a year, outliers in relative peptide signal intensities and relative peptide fragment ratios are identified, indicating the need for instrument maintenance. We therefore believe that the software could be a vital and powerful tool for any lab regularly performing SRM, increasing the reliability and quality of the SRM platform. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mass spectrometry is becoming established as a standard technique for accurate protein quantification. However, to achieve the required quantification reproducibility of the liquid chromatography (LC)-SRM setup, system performance needs to be monitored over time. Here we introduce a workflow with associated software to enable automated monitoring of LC-SRM setups. We believe that usage of the presented concepts will further strengthen the role of SRM as a reliable tool for protein quantification. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Standardization and Quality Control in Proteomics.