Desorption/ionization efficiency of peptides containing disulfide bonds in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

Anal Sci. 2012;28(3):295-9. doi: 10.2116/analsci.28.295.

Abstract

In order to elucidate the role of desorption/ionization efficiency of peptides in MALDI-MS, we focused on peptides with disulfide bonds, which form a rigid tertiary structure. We synthesized seven sets of peptides with one disulfide bond (oxytocin, somatostatin, [Arg(8)]-vasopressin, [Arg(8)]-vasotocin, cortistatin, melanin-concentrating hormone, urotensin II-related peptide) and five sets of peptides with two disulfide bonds (tertiapin, α-conotoxin GI, α-conotoxin ImI, α-conotoxin MI and α-conotoxin SI). Each peptide set consisted of three peptides: the oxidized form (S-S type), the reduced form (SH type), and an internal standard peptide in which all cysteine residues were substituted with alanine residues. In the case of urotensin II-related peptide, tertiapin, α-conotoxin ImI and α-conotoxin MI, the reduced form showed higher desorption/ionization efficiency than the oxidized form. In contrast, the other peptides revealed higher desorption/ionization efficiency in the oxidized form relative to the reduced form. These results imply that a rigid structure of peptides formed by disulfide bonds does not correlate with desorption/ionization efficiency in MALDI-MS.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Disulfides / chemistry*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry*
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization*

Substances

  • Disulfides
  • Peptide Fragments