Collision-induced Dissociation Mass Spectra Research Articles

A rapid assay of identification for glimepiride and its cis-isomer by tandem mass spectrometry

A simple and rapid identification method of glimepiride and its cis-isomer was established for the first time. The collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectrometry method was used in this study. Under negative ion mode, the CID mass spectra of the deprotonated molecule ion showed two characteristic ions, m/z 364 and m/z 376, which are confirmed by the method of energy-resolved mass spectrometry (ERMS). The relative abundance of the m/z 364 of glimepiride showed lower than that of its cis-isomer, which is related to the stereo structure of glimepiride and its isomer. Zinc ion was chosen to adduct to the glimepiride and its isomer, which experimental results showed the zinc ions enhanced the degree of recognition. The RIsomer values, which evaluate the degree of the isomer recognition, were investigated at different collision energy. The quantitative determination of glimepiride was performed by using MS/MS. Aiming at the recognition of geometric isomers; this methodology shows huge potential of extended mass spectrometry method to a large number of chiral drugs and their impurity.

Bond dissociation energies in glycine, alanine, and dipeptide deprotonated anions for use in analyzing collision-induced dissociation processes

Enthalpies of product formation for both direct peptide backbone bond dissociation and fragment rearrangement pathways have been predicted at the composite correlated molecule orbital theory G3(MP2) level for the dissociation of the [M−H]− precursor anions of glycine, alanine, the dipeptides, and the amide forms of these species. The lowest energy isomers for bond cleavage and rearrangement pathways were determined by extensive sampling of the available structures for each fragment using density functional theory. The G3(MP2) results are compared to the experimental low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) negative ion mode mass spectra. The y1− anion, NH2CHRCO2− was the most intense product ion in the CID spectra for the dipeptide species and their amides. Among amide species, NCO− was universally observed and the enthalpies for generation of this anion are less than ±5 kcal/mol. Amino acids and their amides consistently lost neutral HNCH-R (R H or CH3). Loss of the C-terminal carbon as CO2 was only observed for diglycine and dialanine but loss of CO2 or HNCO were not observed for the amino acids or any of the amide structures. The hydrogen at the C-terminus of the amino acid and dipeptide amide molecules facilitated the observable loss of H2O in the experimental spectra. Loss of H2O was not observed for non-amide species. Several energetically favorable fragmentation pathways were not detected in the low-energy CID mass spectra for these deprotonated anions. Selected transition states were calculated, and show that a number of the observed or low-energy pathways involve multistep mechanisms.

Hemoglobin Kirklareli (α H58L), a New Variant Associated with Iron Deficiency and Increased CO Binding

Mutations in hemoglobin can cause a wide range of phenotypic outcomes, including anemia due to protein instability and red cell lysis. Uncovering the biochemical basis for these phenotypes can provide new insights into hemoglobin structure and function as well as identify new therapeutic opportunities. We report here a new hemoglobin α chain variant in a female patient with mild anemia, whose father also carries the trait and is from the Turkish city of Kirklareli. Both the patient and her father had a His-58(E7) → Leu mutation in α1. Surprisingly, the patient's father is not anemic, but he is a smoker with high levels of HbCO (∼16%). To understand these phenotypes, we examined recombinant human Hb (rHb) Kirklareli containing the α H58L replacement. Mutant α subunits containing Leu-58(E7) autoxidize ∼8 times and lose hemin ∼200 times more rapidly than native α subunits, causing the oxygenated form of rHb Kirklareli to denature very rapidly under physiological conditions. The crystal structure of rHb Kirklareli shows that the α H58L replacement creates a completely apolar active site, which prevents electrostatic stabilization of bound O2, promotes autoxidation, and enhances hemin dissociation by inhibiting water coordination to the Fe(III) atom. At the same time, the mutant α subunit has an ∼80,000-fold higher affinity for CO than O2, causing it to rapidly take up and retain carbon monoxide, which prevents denaturation both in vitro and in vivo and explains the phenotypic differences between the father, who is a smoker, and his daughter.

Stereospecific fragmentation of starfish polyhydroxysteroids in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectra and collision-induced dissociation mass spectra in positive and negative ion modes of five polyhydroxysteroid compounds from starfish were studied. Tandem mass spectra exhibit extensive fragmentation, including sequential neutral losses of H2O molecules and cleavages in the tetracyclic nucleus and side chains. The relative intensity of some peaks in tandem mass spectra enables stereoisomers with the different orientations of the hydroxyl group at C15 in the tetracyclic nucleus to be distinguished. Some data on the fragmentation mechanisms were obtained by H–D exchange and mass spectrometry analysis.

Rapid identification of miglitol and its isomers by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

Miglitol (1) derived from 1-deoxynojirimycin is an iminosugar that is useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Isomers (2, 3, 4) that differ at the C2 and C3 positions of hydroxyl groups from miglitol are impurities resulting from the synthesis of miglitol. The impurity profile of a drug substance is critical to its safety assessment and is important for monitoring the manufacturing process. Therefore, developing a fast and simple method that can rapidly identify the configuration of miglitol and its isomers (2, 3, 4) is necessary. Miglitol (1) and its isomers 2-4 were derivatized with benzoboroxole (o-hydroxymethyl phenylboronic acid) at room temperature, and the cyclic boronate esters of different configurations were generated. Protonated miglitol and its isomers 2-4, as well as their derivatives, were subjected to collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments by using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Elemental compositions of all the ions were verified by electrospray ion-trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Fragmentation of the protonated miglitol and its isomers gave the same fragment ions at m/z 190 and m/z 146. Both their fragmentation behavior and abundances were similar. Whereas the CID mass spectra of the precursor ions (m/z 322) of cyclic boronate esters showed four characteristic fragment ions, m/z 214 ([M-C7 H8 O](-) ), m/z 196 ([M-C7 H8 O-H2 O](-) ), m/z 151 ([M-C8 H13 NO3 ](-) ), and m/z 133 ([M-C8 H15 NO4 ](-) ). The abundances of these fragments are different which are related to the stereostructure of miglitol and its isomers. A facile method was established for the differentiation of the spatial configuration of miglitol and its isomers using the relative abundances of the fragment ions of boronate esters generated from in-situ reaction between analytes and benzoboroxole by ESI-MS/MS. This approach could be used to rapidly identify the stereoisomers and monitor the epimerization of miglitol and its isomers in chemical reactions and manufacturing processes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination of ion mobility collision cross sections for unresolved isomeric mixtures using tandem mass spectrometry and chemometric deconvolution

Ion mobility (IM) is an important analytical technique for determining ion collision cross section (CCS) values in the gas-phase and gaining insight into molecular structures and conformations. However, limited instrument resolving powers for IM may restrict adequate characterization of conformationally similar ions, such as structural isomers, and reduce the accuracy of IM-based CCS calculations. Recently, we introduced an automated technique for extracting “pure” IM and collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra of IM overlapping species using chemometric deconvolution of post-IM/CID mass spectrometry (MS) data [J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., 2014, 25, 1810–1819]. Here we extend those capabilities to demonstrate how extracted IM profiles can be used to calculate accurate CCS values of peptide isomer ions which are not fully resolved by IM. We show that CCS values obtained from deconvoluted IM spectra match with CCS values measured from the individually analyzed corresponding peptides on uniform field IM instrumentation. We introduce an approach that utilizes experimentally determined IM arrival time (AT) “shift factors” to compensate for ion acceleration variations during post-IM/CID and significantly improve the accuracy of the calculated CCS values. Also, we discuss details of this IM deconvolution approach and compare empirical CCS values from traveling wave (TW)IM-MS and drift tube (DT)IM-MS with theoretically calculated CCS values using the projected superposition approximation (PSA). For example, experimentally measured deconvoluted TWIM-MS mean CCS values for doubly-protonated RYGGFM, RMFGYG, MFRYGG, and FRMYGG peptide isomers were 288.8 Å2, 295.1 Å2, 296.8 Å2, and 300.1 Å2; all four of these CCS values were within 1.5% of independently measured DTIM-MS values.

Predicting collision-induced dissociation mass spectra: understanding the role of the mobile proton in small molecule fragmentation.

Intramolecular proton migration has been reported to be required for fragmentation by collision-induced dissociation (CID). If the collision energy is required to provide energy for proton movement to a ‘dissociative’ site, it may be possible to predict the optimal collision energy for fragmentation using quantum computational chemistry software. A greater understanding of the mechanism(s) of proton migration is necessary. The product ion spectra of seven compounds were obtained at collision energies stepped in the range from 5 to 50 eV, with precursor ions being generated in positive ion mode by both atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionisation (ESI) (using an ESCi ionisation source with or without corona discharge, respectively). The products ions observed at each collision energy were assessed in terms of structure to ascertain if they were formed as a result of protonation at the initial ionisation site or if the proton had migrated to a dissociative site. Proton migration was shown to be independent of collision energy, stability of the protonated molecule and the distance that the proton moved. Therefore, proton migration is not a barrier to fragmentation as the proton appears to be fully mobile at 5 eV. As proton migration is independent of collision energy for these compounds, whereas fragmentation is energy dependent, protonation at the dissociative site alone is not sufficient to cause bond cleavage. The role of collision energy in bond cleavage may be to increase the vibrational energy of the bond and/or increase the rate of bond cleavage such that it occurs within the residence time of the ion within the collision cell rather than to supply the energy for proton migration. Therefore, quantum chemistry alone cannot predict the collision energies appropriate for fragmentation on the basis of modelling proton movements.

LTQ Orbitrap Velos in routine de novo sequencing of non-tryptic skin peptides from the frog Rana latastei with traditional and reliable manual spectra interpretation.

Mass spectrometry has shown itself to be the most efficient tool for the sequencing of peptides. However, de novo sequencing of novel natural peptides is significantly more challenging in comparison with the same procedure applied for the tryptic peptides. To reach the goal in this case it is essential to select the most efficient methods of triggering fragmentation and combine all the possible complementary techniques. Collision-induced dissociation (CID), high-energy collision dissociation (HCD), and electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) tandem mass spectra recorded with a LTQ Orbitrap Velos instrument were used for the elucidation of the sequence of the natural non-tryptic peptides from the skin secretion of Rana latastei. Manual interpretation of the spectra was applied. The combined approach using CID, HCD, and ETD tandem mass spectra of the multiprotonated peptides in various charge states, as well as of their proteolytic fragments, allowed the sequences of seven novel peptides from the skin secretion of Rana latastei to be established. Manual mass spectrometry sequencing of natural non-tryptic peptides from the skin secretion of Rana latastei provided the opportunity to work successfully with these species and demonstrated once again its advantage over automatic approaches.

Determination of Trialkyl Phosphates in Wastewater by Solid Phase Extraction–Flow Injection–Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization–Mass Spectrometry

ABSTRACTA solid phase extraction–flow injection–atmospheric pressure chemical ionization–mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of tris[2-chloroethyl]phosphate, tris[2-chloroisopropyl]phosphate, tris[1,3-dichloroisopropyl]phosphate, triethyl phosphate, tributyl-n-phosphate, and tris[2-butoxyethyl]phosphate in wastewater for degradation studies. The mass spectrometry conditions were optimized for each compound and collision-induced dissociation mass spectra were obtained. Lower limits of quantitation from 3.0 to 25.2 ng ml−1 for distilled water were obtained using a 30 mg solid phase extraction cartridge for a 25-fold sample concentration. The lower limits of quantitation were from 15.3 to 70.2 ng ml−1 for wastewater. A 100-fold sample concentration was achieved using a 500 mg cartridge, leading to lower limits of quantitation for trialkyl phosphates in wastewater between 6.3 ng ml−1 for tris[2-butoxyethyl]phosphate and 83 ng ml−1 for tris[1,3-dichloroisopropyl]phosphate. Recoveries for 50.0 ng ml−1 concentrations were from 69% for tris[2-chloroisopropyl]phosphate) to 92% for tris[1,3-dichloroisopropyl]phosphate. Wastewater blanks had peak areas comparable in size to a few ng ml−1 of trialkyl phosphates, presumably from matrix interferences and procedurally generated sample contamination. Evaporative concentration was employed to further increase the sensitivity for the trialkyl phosphates.

Study of the gas-phase fragmentation behaviour of sulfonated peptides

A series of singly and doubly protonated peptides bearing sulfonated residue have been studied, using both experiment and molecular modelling, to elucidate fragmentation chemistry of sulfonated peptides. Collision-induced dissociation mass spectra indicate that the sulfo group loss (neutral loss of 80Da) is the dominant dissociation channel. Modelling results suggest the proton transfer mechanism, where upon vibrational excitation, the acidic side chain proton is transferred from the sulfo group hydroxyl to the ester oxygen resulting in SO bond cleavage and formation of the unmodified hydroxyl containing residue and SO3. Conformations associated with potential energy profile of the reaction imply the charge remote nature of the proposed mechanism. The proposed proton transfer mechanism was compared with the intramolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2) mechanism, the main pathway suggested for neutral loss of phosphoric acid from phosphopeptides. Both pathways (proton transfer and SN2) are available for sulfonated and phosphorylated peptides; however, each posttranslational modification favours different mechanism. The change of the bond dissociation enthalpies and the ability of stabilising the transition state structures are demonstrated as main factors responsible for each posttranslational modification activating a different pathway.

Influence of Single Skimmer Versus Dual Funnel Transfer on the Appearance of ESI-Generated LiCl Cluster/ß-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes.

Singly and doubly charged adducts of LiCl with β-cyclodextrin (βCD) of the type (βCD)(LiCl)(n)Li(+) and (βCD)2(LiCl)(p)Li2(2+) were studied using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Insight into their structural composition was gained by analysis of their collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra. The conditions the ions experience in the transfer region interfacing the ESI source and the mass analyzer were found to have a marked influence on the nature of the detected ions. In one instrument incorporating a single skimmer, individually attached LiCl ion pairs were observed, whereas the dual funnel ion guides of the second instrument allow the detection of previously unknown labile inclusion complexes of (LiCl)n clusters in βCD.

Characterization of Slow-Pyrolysis Bio-Oils by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Bio-oils produced from biomass pyrolysis are an attractive fuel source that requires significant upgrading. Before upgrade strategies can be developed, the molecular composition of bio-oils needs to be better understood. In this work, oily and aqueous fractions of bio-oils produced by slow pyrolysis of two feedstocks, pine shavings (PS) and corn stover (CS), were analyzed by negative electrospray ionization (ESI)-Orbitrap and ion mobility-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (IM-TOF-MS). Analyte ion signal was observed primarily between m/z 80 and 450 in the mass spectra of these samples. Mass defect analysis and collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments performed on mobility-separated ions indicated a high degree of homology among bio-oil samples produced from both feedstocks. Oxygen-rich species having between 1 and 9 oxygen atoms and with double bond equivalents (DBEs) ranging from 1 to 15 were identified, indicating that catalytic upgrading will likely be required if slow-pyrolysis bio-oils are to be utilized as fuel. IM-MS and IM-MS/MS analysis of ions belonging to select CH2-homologous series suggest that mass-mobility correlations and post-ion mobility CID mass spectra may be useful in defining structural relationships among members of a given Kendrick mass defect series.

McLafferty-type rearrangement of protonated N-[nicotinoyl]phenylethyl amines and consequent elimination of styrene.

McLafferty rearrangements occur in radical cations of molecules containing a carbonyl group and a γ hydrogen atom but are not common in the [M+H](+) ions of carbonyl compounds. We propose to investigate the collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the [M+H](+) ions of nicotinoyl and picolinoyl amides of 1- and 2-phenylethylamines to explore the possibility of McLafferty-type rearrangement. The compounds for study were synthesized by the reaction of methyl nicotinate or methyl picolinate with 1- and 2-phenylethylamines. The CID mass spectra of electrospray ionization (ESI)-generated protonated molecules were obtained using a QSTAR XL quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the B3LYP method were employed to elucidate the fragmentation mechanisms. The total electronic and thermal energies of intermediate transition states (TSs) and product ions are reported relative to those of the [M+H](+) ions. CID of the [M+H](+) ions of N-[nicotinoyl]-2-phenylethylamine (1) yielded product ions of m/z 105 (1-phenylethyl cation) and 123 ([M+H-styrene](+) cation). The competitive formation of the ions of m/z 123 and 105 is proposed to involve a McLafferty-type rearrangement. Similarly, the [M+H](+) ions of the isomeric compound 2 and the N-[picolinoyl] phenylethyl amines (3 and 4) dissociate to yield ions of m/z 123 and 105. A molecule of styrene was eliminated from the ESI-generated [M+H](+) ions of N-[nicotinoyl]phenylethylamines and the isomeric N-[picolinoyl]phenylethylamines, through a mechanism involving a McLafferty-type 1,5-H shift. The transition state energy for the 1,5-H shift is less for the amides of 1-phenylethylamine than for the amides of 2-phenylethylamine. The process occurs as a charge remote process and the presence of the pyridine ring is essential for the process.

Collision-energy resolved ion mobility characterization of isomeric mixtures.

Existing instrumental resolving power limitations in ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) often restrict adequate characterization of unresolved or co-eluting chemical isomers. Recently, we introduced a novel chemometric deconvolution approach that utilized post-IM collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectrometry (MS) data to extract "pure" IM profiles and construct CID mass spectra of individual components from a mixture containing two IM-overlapped components [J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., 2012, 23, 1873-1884]. In this manuscript we extend the capabilities of the IM-MS deconvolution methodology and demonstrate the utility of energy resolved IM deconvolution for successful characterization of ternary and quaternary isomer mixtures with overlapping IM profiles. Furthermore, we show that the success of IM-MS deconvolution is a collision-energy dependent process where different isomers can be identified at various ion fragmentation collision-energies. Details on how to identify a single collision-energy or suitable collision-energy ranges for successful characterization of isomer mixtures are discussed. To confirm the validity of the proposed approach, deconvoluted IM and MS spectra from IM overlapped analyte mixtures are compared to IM and MS data from individually run mixture components. Criteria for "successful" deconvolution of overlapping IM profiles and extraction of their corresponding pure mass spectra are discussed.

Differences in collision-induced dissociation of the protonated molecules of isomeric alkyl phenols

It is shown that isomeric ortho- and para-substituted alkyl phenols are characterized by significant differences in the collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra of their protonated molecules formed at chemical ionization using methane as a reagent gas. Mass spectra of p-substituted isomers contain intensive peaks of characteristic ions [M + H − H2O]+, which are absent from the spectra of o-isomers. Such principal differences in CID mass spectra permit us to distinguish ortho-alkyl phenols from other isomers without using the MS reference data and/or chromatographic retention parameters.

Specific rearrangement reactions of acetylated lysine containing peptide bn (n = 4-7) ion series.

Characterization of ε-N-acetylated lysine containing peptides, one of the most prominent post-translational modifications of proteins, is an important goal for tandem mass spectrometry experiments. A systematic study for the fragmentation reactions of b ions derived from ε-N-acetyllysine containing model octapeptides (KAc YAGFLVG and YAKAc GFLVG) has been examined in detail. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra of bn (n = 4-7) fragments of ε-N-acetylated lysine containing peptides are compared with those of N-terminal acetylated and doubly acetylated (both ε-N and N-terminal) peptides, as well as acetyl-free peptides. Both direct and nondirect fragments are observed for acetyl-free and singly acetylated (ε-N or N-terminal) peptides. In the case of ε-N-acetylated lysine containing peptides, however, specific fragment ions (m/z 309, 456, 569 and 668) are observed in CID mass spectra of bn (n = 4-7) ions. The CID mass spectra of these four ions are shown to be identical to those of selected protonated C-terminal amidated peptides. On this basis, a new type of rearrangement chemistry is proposed to account for the formation of these fragment ions, which are specific for ε-N-acetylated lysine containing peptides. Consistent with the observation of nondirect fragments, it is proposed that the b ions undergo head-to-tail macrocyclization followed by ring opening. The proposed reaction pathway assumes that bn (n = 4-7) of ε-N-acetylated lysine containing peptides has a tendency to place the KAc residue at the C-terminal position after macrocyclization/reopening mechanism. Then, following the loss of CO, it is proposed that the marker ions are the result of the loss of an acetyllysine imine as a neutral fragment.

Application of LC/MS systems to structural characterization of flavonoid glycoconjugates

Mass spectrometry is currently one of the most versatile and sensitive instrumental methods applied to structural characterization of plant secondary metabolite mixtures isolated from biological material. Plant tissues contain thousands of natural products fulfilling different roles in plant physiology and biochemistry. These natural products have various biological activities in respect to plants synthesizing them, in their responses to different environmental stresses and are also active principles of food supplements and pharmaceuticals of plant origin. Flavonoids constitute a large group of phenolic secondary metabolites and are probably produced by all terrestrial plant species. More than 9000 glycoconjugates of flavonoids are presently known in the plant kingdom and more than 50 of them may be present in a single plant. For this reason methods of identification and analysis of this group of compounds are particularly demanded. Due to a high number of metabolites present in plant extracts, the isolation and purification of most compounds in amounts suitable for unambiguous characterization with NMR methods is often impossible. For these reasons elaboration of strategies for sufficiently precise structural characterization of compounds present in mixture samples is currently a primary task. Mass spectrometry, thanks to application of different physical phenomena for ionization, separation and detection of analyzed molecules, became the method of choice among analytical methods applied for identification, structural characterization and quantitative analysis of the natural products. Methods of analysis of differently substituted flavonoids (O- and C-glycosides, differentiation of various oligosaccharidic substituents, detection of acylated compounds) are presented in the paper. A proper application of mass spectrometric methods in well-defined and strictly controlled technical parameters of analysis permits obtaining important structural information. Among others, recording collision induced dissociation mass spectra allows identification of compounds after comparison of the registered MS spectra with these present in the existing databases.

The unimolecular chemistry of protonated and deprotonated 2,2-dinitroethene-1,1-diamine (FOX-7) studied by tandem mass spectrometry and computational chemistry.

2,2-Dinitroethene-1,1-diamine (FOX-7) was studied by means of electrospray ionization (ESI) and chemical ionization (CI) mass spectrometry in both positive and negative ion mode. Detailed mechanisms of unimolecular fragmentations of protonated and deprotonated FOX-7 were investigated using high- and low- energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectrometry, neutral fragment reionization mass spectrometry and quantum chemistry calculations. In deprotonated FOX-7, elimination of the carbodiimide molecule was identified as the energetically most favored fragmentation channel, closely resembling the base hydrolysis of FOX-7. The dinitromethanide ion is formed during this fragmentation as revealed by comparison with CID mass spectra of an isobaric ion prepared by the ESI of authentic sodium dinitromethanide. The proton affinity of FOX-7 was estimated as 855 kJ mo(-1) by high-accuracy quantum chemistry calculations. This value corresponds to protonation at the C-2 position, though the oxygen-protonated tautomer was found to be nearly isoenergetic in the gas phase. In acetonitrile, the nitro group-protonated FOX-7 was found to be significantly less stable then its C-2 tautomer. These theoretical findings are clearly reflected in differences in fragmentations of ESI- and CI-generated [M+H(]+) ions. Interestingly, the consecutive losses of OH∙ and NO2∙ radicals instead of a whole HNO3 molecule were found to account for the most abundant fragment ion in the positive ESI CID mass spectra. In the CI-generated [M+H](+) and [M+D](+) ions, substantial internal energy effects upon the CID were observed.

Understanding dissociation of cyclic dinucleotide ions by electrospray mass spectrometry

Mechanisms of collision induced dissociation (CID) under the conditions of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of cyclic-di-adenosine mono phosphate (c-di-AMP) and cyclic-di-guanosine mono phosphate (c-di-GMP) are described. The CID mass spectrum of doubly protonated ([M+2H]2+) c-di-AMP differs from that of singly protonated ([M+H]+) and the mechanisms of dissociation of these two ionic forms are proposed. CID of singly deprotonated form ([M−H]−) of c-di-AMP was also carried out and its fragmentation mechanism is delineated. Ring-opening step seems to be imperative and foremost prior to subsequent dissociation events, during the fragmentation of both cationic and anionic forms of c-di-AMP. In the case of CID of [M+H]+ of c-di-GMP, the abundance of fragment ions indicate that ring-opening mediated fragmentation may not be a favored pathway, while loss of guanine may be relatively more preferred. Interestingly, fragmentation of [M−H]− of c-di-GMP appears to be very similar to that of c-di-AMP, which involves ring-opening step, suggesting that nitrogen base does not influence CID pathways of [M−H]− species. Understanding such dissociation mechanisms will prove useful for discovery and validation of novel hybrid cyclic dinucleotides and their analogues. Also, such comprehensions will be helpful in distinguishing different isobaric molecules possessing varied molecular structures.

Sesquiterpenoid glycosides from glandular trichomes of the wild tomato relative Solanum habrochaites

Profiles of terpenoid glycoside metabolites in glandular trichomes of Solanum habrochaites LA1777 leaves were generated using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry with multiplexing of non-selective collision-induced dissociation (CID). Profiling data suggested a diverse group of 52 sesquiterpenoid glycosides, and fragment ions observed in both non-selective CID mass spectra and true tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) product ion spectra documented variation in extent of glycosylation and the presence of malonate or acetate esters. Up to 10 isomers were detected for some metabolites. Malonate and acetate esters of three sesquiterpene diol glucosides and one unmodified diglucoside were purified using reversed phase semipreparative HPLC and analyzed and identified using 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectrometry. All four of the isolated products were glucosides of campheranane-2,12-diol.