Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-mass Spectrometry Research Articles

Identification of a Crystalline Drug Metabolite in Tissue Sections using Microscopy and Maldi-MS

Abstract Development of a potential drug candidate was discontinued when rats treated with the compound developed severe renal toxicity after one week of daily dosing. Tubular degeneration in the kidney was accompanied by deposition of large amounts of crystalline material, which was also present in spleen and pancreas (Fig. 1). It was presumed that the crystals were precipitated parent drug or one of its metabolites. Using microscopy and mass spectrometry, it was confirmed that the crystals were indeed derived from the drug and not endogenously formed; in addition, the precise metabolite that had precipitated in the tissues was identified, providing clues to the metabolic pathways involved. Frozen sections of phosphate-buffered formaldehyde-fixed kidney, pancreas, and spleen were evaluated by polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS), and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). For reference, crystals of the trifluoroacetate salt of the parent drug were also analyzed using these methods.

Identification of Tyr438 as the major in vitro c-Src phosphorylation site in human gelsolin: a mass spectrometric approach.

Gelsolin is an actin-binding protein (82 kDa) consisting of six repeated segments (S1-S6), each approximately 120 residues long. It interacts with phospholipids and we previously showed that phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate promotes phosphorylation of gelsolin by the tyrosine kinase c-Src. We used a combination of different methods, such as thin-layer chromatography and anti-phosphotyrosine-agarose immunoprecipitation of phosphopeptides combined with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and post source decay (PSD) analysis, to identify the phosphorylation sites in gelsolin. The major phosphorylation site (Tyr438) was located in subdomain 4 (S4). Phosphorylation of gelsolin in the gelsolin-actin2 complex was inhibited by 90%. Gelsolin phosphorylation by c-Src in the presence of lysophosphatidic acid also revealed Tyr438 as the most prominent site. Additional minor sites were found using the anti-phosphotyrosine bead immunoprecipitation method followed by MALDI-MS and PSD analysis. These sites, representing approximately 5% of the total phosphate incorporation, were identified as Tyr59, Tyr382, Tyr576, and Tyr624. Based on these results we generated antibodies which specifically recognize Tyr438 phosphorylated gelsolin.

A test of the MALDI-MS calibration of SEC with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone for coal derived materials

In this paper we test our proposed methodology for a calibration procedure for mass determination by size exclusion chromatography. A sample is coarsely fractionated on column and when the fractions are examined by matrix assisted laser desorption–ionisation mass spectrometry a direct variation of molecular mass with retention is found. Importantly the chromatograms produced when using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone as eluant are found to be free from solute association effects over a wide range of concentrations. The examination of a gasifier char is presented as a unique application of this chromatographic system.

Changes in Formaldehyde Contents of Germinating Acorns of Quercus Cerris L. Under Low Temperature Stress Conditions

Acorns of Quercus cerris L., after saturation with water and storage at -20 degrees C, were studied for changes in their contents of endogenous formaldehyde and its potential precursor and generator compounds. For the measurement of formaldehyde, after conversion to formaldemethone and some methyl acceptor and donor substances, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used. First, the amount of formaldehyde was drastically decreased. Having reached a minimum value within three to five days of the beginning of low temperature storage, a higher steady-state than the control acorns was recorded. Trigonelline and gamma-amino-butyric acid in seedleaf extracts were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS).

Multiple Peaks in HPLC of Proteins: Bovine Serum Albumin Eluted in a Reversed-Phase System

Elution of a commercial sample of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in a reversed-phase (RP) HPLC system at room temperature gives a distorted peak. If a shallow gradient is used during elution a split peak is observed. The nature of the several parts of this multiple peak is studied using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), amino acid analysis, re-elution in RP-HPLC of collected fractions, capillary electrophoresis (CE), and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). This study demonstrates that the split peak of BSA observed in these chromatographic conditions is due to the monomer, dimer and other aggregates existing in the commercial sample of the BSA used. Moreover, it is proved that typical RP-chromatographic conditions do not cause aggregation of BSA.

Affinity labeling of Escherichia coli histidyl-tRNA synthetase with reactive ATP analogues. Identification of labeled amino acid residues by matrix assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry.

Recent affinity labeling studies have revealed that dimeric histidyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli displayed half-of-the-sites reactivity toward labeling with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate [Kalogerakos, T., Hountondji, C., Berne, P. F., Dutka, S. & Blanquet, S. (1994) Biochimie (Paris) 76, 33-44]. In the present report, affinity labeling studies were conducted by using other ATP analogues such as pyridoxal 5'-diphospho-5'-adenosine (pyridoxal-ppAdo), pyridoxal 5'-triphospho-5'-adenosine (pyridoxal-pppAdo), pyridoxal 5'-diphosphate (pyridoxal-P2) and 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine (FSO2BzAdo). The histidine-dependent isotopic [32P]PP/ATP exchange activity of His-tRNA synthetase was rapidly and completely lost upon incubation with either pyridoxal-ppAdo, pyridoxal-pppAdo or pyridoxal-P2, followed by reduction with sodium borohydride. Complete inactivation of His-tRNA synthetase corresponded to the incorporation of 2.8 mol of either pyridoxal-ppAdo or pyridoxal-P2/mol dimeric synthetase. Incubation of His-tRNA synthetase with FSO2BzAdo also resulted in a complete inactivation of the synthetase. However, contrasting with the pyridoxal derivatives, the plot of the residual enzymatic activity against the amount of covalently bound FSO2BzAdo appeared biphasic. In the early stages of inactivation, the relationship between the amount of residual activity and FSO2BzAdo incorporation was linear and extrapolated to a stoichiometry of 1.1 mol reagent/mol His-tRNA synthetase, suggesting that the labeling of one subunit was sufficient to inactivate one dimeric His-tRNA synthetase molecule. At longer incubation periods, additional reagent incorporation occurred and culminated at 2.5 mol label/mol His-tRNA synthetase. Excess of MgATP protected the enzyme against inactivation by either studied reagent. The labeled amino acid residues were identified by matrix-assisted-laser-desorption-ionization mass spectrometry, by measuring the peptide mass increase caused by the reagents. An identical set of four lysyl residues (Lys2, Lys118, Lys369 and Lys370 of His-tRNA synthetase) was found attached to pyridoxal-ppAdo or pyridoxal-P2. In addition, pyridoxal-ppAdo labeled the alpha-amino group of the N-terminal alanine. In a His-tRNA synthetase sample having incorporated 2.5 mol FSO2BzAdo/mol), the labeled amino acid residues were Lys118, Lys196, Tyr262 (or Tyr263), Lys369 and Lys377. Whatever the used reagent, Lys118 appeared to be the predominantly labeled residue, Lys118 belongs to fragment 112-124 (RHERPQK-GRYRQF) corresponding to motif 2 of class 2 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. The other modified lysyl residues (lysines 369, 370 and 377) are close to the catalytic motif 3, in the C-terminal region of the synthetase. Tyr262 and Tyr263 belong to a fragment 256-263 (LVRGLDYY) highly conserved among all known His-tRNA synthetase primary structures. Examination of the recently solved structure of crystalline E. coli His-tRNA synthetase [Amez, J. G., Harris, D. C., Mitschler, A., Rees, B., Francklyn, C. S. & Moras, D. (1995) EMBO J. 14, 4143-4155] shows that, with the exception of lysines 369, 370 and 377, the location of which may account for peculiar accessibility and reactivity, all the amino acid residues identified in this study map near the enzyme nucleotide-binding site, at the N-terminal catalytic domain of the synthetase.