High throughput screening of bradykinin-potentiating peptides in Bothrops moojeni snake venom using precursor ion mass spectrometry

Toxicon. 2008 Jun 1;51(7):1288-302. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2008.02.019. Epub 2008 Mar 4.

Abstract

Snake venoms are known to be an extensive source of bioactive peptides. Bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs) are inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme that have already been identified in the venom of many snake, scorpion, spider and batrachian species. Their most characteristic structural features are an invariable N-terminal pyroglutamate residue (pGlu or Z) and two consecutive proline residues at the C-terminus. Fragmentation of BPPs by collision-induced dissociation during electrospray tandem mass spectrometry analysis (ESI-MS/MS) generates a predominant signal at m/z 213.1 corresponding to the y-ion of the terminal Pro-Pro fragment. In addition, signals at m/z 226.1 and 240.1 that correspond to the b ions of the N-terminus pGlu-Asn and pGlu-Lys, respectively, can often be observed. Based on these structural determinants, the present work describes an original methodology for the discovery of BPPs in natural extracts using liquid chromatography coupled to ESI-MS/MS operated in precursor ion-scan mode. The venom of the Bothrops moojeni snake was used as a model and the methodology was applied for subsequent structural analysis of the identified precursors by tandem mass spectrometry on quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q-TOF) and matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS/MS) instruments. More than 40 peptides below 2500 Da could be detected, among them 20 were shown to belong to the BPP-like family including the related tripeptides pGlu-Lys-Trp and pGlu-Asn-Trp. A total of 15 new sequences have been identified using this approach.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bothrops / metabolism*
  • Bradykinin / chemistry*
  • Crotalid Venoms / chemistry*
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods*
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry
  • Peptide Mapping
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid / chemistry
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / methods
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / methods
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Crotalid Venoms
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Peptides
  • Bradykinin
  • Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid