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Analytical Chemistry

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Theses/Dissertations

2019

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Characterization Of Β-2-Microglobulin Pre-Amyloid Oligomers And Their Role In Amyloid Inhibition, Tyler M. Marcinko Oct 2019

Characterization Of Β-2-Microglobulin Pre-Amyloid Oligomers And Their Role In Amyloid Inhibition, Tyler M. Marcinko

Doctoral Dissertations

In dialysis patients, β-2 microglobulin (β2m) can aggregate and eventually form amyloid fibrils in a condition known as dialysis-related amyloidosis, which deleteriously affects joint, bone, and organ function, and eventually causes organ failure. To understand the early stages of the amyloid assembly process, we have employed a series of biophysical tools including chromatography, spectroscopy, and most especially, native electrospray ionization (ESI) together with ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) to study soluble pre-amyloid oligomeric species. We have also collaborated and integrated computational modeling to help better understand and rationalize the structural basis behind oligomerization. Recently, several small molecules have been identified …


Protein Detection And Structural Characterization By Mass Spectrometry Using Supramolecular Assemblies And Small Molecules, Bo Zhao Oct 2019

Protein Detection And Structural Characterization By Mass Spectrometry Using Supramolecular Assemblies And Small Molecules, Bo Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

Mass spectrometry (MS) has played an increasingly prominent role in proteomics and structure biology because it shows superior capabilities in identification, quantification and structural characterization of proteins. To realize its full potential in protein analysis, significant progress has been made in developing innovative techniques and reagents that can couple to MS detection. This dissertation demonstrates the use of polymeric supramolecular assemblies for enhanced protein detection in complex biological mixtures by MS. An amphiphilic random co-polymer scaffold is developed to form functional supramolecular assemblies for protein/ peptide enrichment. The influences of charge density and functional group pKa on host-guest interactions …