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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Formation Of Gaseous Peptide Ions From Electrospray Droplets: Competition Between The Ion Evaporation Mechanism And Charged Residue Mechanism., Elnaz Aliyari, Lars Konermann
Formation Of Gaseous Peptide Ions From Electrospray Droplets: Competition Between The Ion Evaporation Mechanism And Charged Residue Mechanism., Elnaz Aliyari, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
The transfer of peptide ions from solution into the gas phase by electrospray ionization (ESI) is an integral component of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics. The mechanisms whereby gaseous peptide ions are released from charged ESI nanodroplets remain unclear. This is in contrast to intact protein ESI, which has been the focus of detailed investigations using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and other methods. Under acidic liquid chromatography/MS conditions, many peptides carry a solution charge of 3+ or 2+. Because of this pre-existing charge and their relatively small size, prevailing views suggest that peptides follow the ion evaporation mechanism (IEM). The IEM …
Atomistic Insights Into The Formation Of Nonspecific Protein Complexes During Electrospray Ionization., Elnaz Aliyari, Lars Konermann
Atomistic Insights Into The Formation Of Nonspecific Protein Complexes During Electrospray Ionization., Elnaz Aliyari, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
Native electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS) is widely used for the detection and characterization of multi-protein complexes. A well-known problem with this approach is the possible occurrence of nonspecific protein clustering in the ESI plume. This effect can distort the results of binding affinity measurements, and it can even generate gas-phase complexes from proteins that are strictly monomeric in bulk solution. By combining experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the current work for the first time provides detailed insights into the ESI clustering of proteins. Using ubiquitin as a model system, we demonstrate how the entrapment of more than one …
Probing The Effects Of Heterogeneous Oxidative Modifications On The Stability Of Cytochrome, Victor Yin, Lars Konermann
Probing The Effects Of Heterogeneous Oxidative Modifications On The Stability Of Cytochrome, Victor Yin, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
Covalent modifications by reactive oxygen species can modulate the function and stability of proteins. Thermal unfolding experiments in solution are a standard tool for probing oxidation-induced stability changes. Complementary to such solution investigations, the stability of electrosprayed protein ions can be assessed in the gas phase by collision-induced unfolding (CIU) and ion-mobility spectrometry. A question that remains to be explored is whether oxidation-induced stability alterations in solution are mirrored by the CIU behavior of gaseous protein ions. Here, we address this question using chloramine-T-oxidized cytochrome c (CT-cyt c) as a model system. CT-cyt c comprises various proteoforms that have …
Interrogating The Quaternary Structure Of Noncanonical Hemoglobin Complexes By Electrospray Mass Spectrometry And Collision-Induced Dissociation., Alexander I M Sever, Victor Yin, Lars Konermann
Interrogating The Quaternary Structure Of Noncanonical Hemoglobin Complexes By Electrospray Mass Spectrometry And Collision-Induced Dissociation., Alexander I M Sever, Victor Yin, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
Various activation methods are available for the fragmentation of gaseous protein complexes produced by electrospray ionization (ESI). Such experiments can potentially yield insights into quaternary structure. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) is the most widely used fragmentation technique. Unfortunately, CID of protein complexes is dominated by the ejection of highly charged monomers, a process that does not yield any structural insights. Using hemoglobin (Hb) as a model system, this work examines under what conditions CID generates structurally informative subcomplexes. Native ESI mainly produced tetrameric Hb ions. In addition, "noncanonical" hexameric and octameric complexes were observed. CID of all these species [(αβ)2 …
Formation Of Gaseous Proteins Via The Ion Evaporation Model (Iem) In Electrospray Mass Spectrometry., Elnaz Aliyari, Lars Konermann
Formation Of Gaseous Proteins Via The Ion Evaporation Model (Iem) In Electrospray Mass Spectrometry., Elnaz Aliyari, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
The mechanisms whereby protein ions are released into the gas phase from charged droplets during electrospray ionization (ESI) continue to be controversial. Several pathways have been proposed. For native ESI the charged residue model (CRM) is favored; it entails the liberation of proteins via solvent evaporation to dryness. Unfolded proteins likely follow the chain ejection model (CEM), which involves the gradual expulsion of stretched-out chains from the droplet. According to the ion evaporation model (IEM) ions undergo electrostatically driven desorption from the droplet surface. The IEM is well supported for small precharged species such as Na+. However, it …
Enhancing Protein Electrospray Charge States By Multivalent Metal Ions: Mechanistic Insights From Md Simulations And Mass Spectrometry Experiments., Leanne M Martin, Lars Konermann
Enhancing Protein Electrospray Charge States By Multivalent Metal Ions: Mechanistic Insights From Md Simulations And Mass Spectrometry Experiments., Leanne M Martin, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
The structure and reactivity of electrosprayed protein ions is governed by their net charge. Native proteins in non-denaturing aqueous solutions produce low charge states. More highly charged ions are formed when electrospraying proteins that are unfolded and/or exposed to organic supercharging agents. Numerous studies have explored the electrospray process under these various conditions. One phenomenon that has received surprisingly little attention is the charge enhancement caused by multivalent metal ions such as La3+ when electrospraying proteins out of non-denaturing solutions. Here, we conducted mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry experiments, in combination with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, to uncover …
Charging And Supercharging Of Proteins For Mass Spectrometry: Recent Insights Into The Mechanisms Of Electrospray Ionization., Lars Konermann, Haidy Metwally, Quentin Duez, Insa Peters
Charging And Supercharging Of Proteins For Mass Spectrometry: Recent Insights Into The Mechanisms Of Electrospray Ionization., Lars Konermann, Haidy Metwally, Quentin Duez, Insa Peters
Chemistry Publications
Electrospray ionization (ESI) is an essential technique for transferring proteins from solution into the gas phase for mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry. The mechanisms whereby [M + zH]z+ protein ions are released from charged nanodroplets during ESI have been controversial for many years. Here we discuss recent computational and experimental studies that have shed light on many of the mysteries in this area. Four types of protein ESI experiments can be distinguished, each of which appears to be associated with a specific mechanism. (i) Native ESI proceeds according to the charged residue model (CRM) that entails droplet evaporation …
Mechanism Of Electrospray Supercharging For Unfolded Proteins: Solvent-Mediated Stabilization Of Protonated Sites During Chain Ejection., Insa Peters, Haidy Metwally, Lars Konermann
Mechanism Of Electrospray Supercharging For Unfolded Proteins: Solvent-Mediated Stabilization Of Protonated Sites During Chain Ejection., Insa Peters, Haidy Metwally, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
Proteins that are unfolded in solution produce higher charge states during electrospray ionization (ESI) than their natively folded counterparts. Protein charge states can be further increased by the addition of supercharging agents (SCAs) such as sulfolane. The mechanism whereby these supercharged [M + zH] z+ ions are formed under unfolded conditions remains unclear. Here we employed a combination of mass spectrometry (MS), ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for probing the ESI mechanism under denatured supercharging conditions. ESI of acid-unfolded apo-myoglobin (aMb) in the presence of sulfolane produced charge states around 27+, all the way to fully …
Protein Ions Generated By Native Electrospray Ionization: Comparison Of Gas Phase, Solution, And Crystal Structures., Maryam Bakhtiari, Lars Konermann
Protein Ions Generated By Native Electrospray Ionization: Comparison Of Gas Phase, Solution, And Crystal Structures., Maryam Bakhtiari, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
Experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in the literature indicate that gaseous proteins generated by electrospray ionization (ESI) can retain native-like structures. However, the exact properties of these ions remain to be explored. Focusing on ubiquitin and lysozyme, we examined several pertinent questions. (1) We applied solvent MD runs to test whether the X-ray structures of both proteins are affected by crystal packing. Main and side-chain orientations were retained in solution, providing a justification for the hitherto unscrutinized approach of relying on crystal data for "solution" versus gas-phase comparisons. (2) Most earlier gas-phase protein MD investigations employed short (ns) simulation …
Chain Ejection Model For Electrospray Ionization Of Unfolded Proteins: Evidence From Atomistic Simulations And Ion Mobility Spectrometry., Haidy Metwally, Quentin Duez, Lars Konermann
Chain Ejection Model For Electrospray Ionization Of Unfolded Proteins: Evidence From Atomistic Simulations And Ion Mobility Spectrometry., Haidy Metwally, Quentin Duez, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
The ion evaporation model (IEM) and the charged residue model (CRM) represent cornerstones of any discussion related to the mechanism of electrospray ionization (ESI). Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have confirmed that small ions such as Na+ are ejected from the surface of aqueous ESI droplets (IEM), while folded proteins in native ESI are released by water evaporation to dryness (CRM). ESI of unfolded proteins yields [M + zH] z+ ions that are much more highly charged than their folded counterparts. A chain ejection model (CEM) has been proposed to account for the protein ESI behavior under such non-native conditions …
How To Run Molecular Dynamics Simulations On Electrospray Droplets And Gas Phase Proteins: Basic Guidelines And Selected Applications., Lars Konermann, Haidy Metwally, Robert G Mcallister, Vlad Popa
How To Run Molecular Dynamics Simulations On Electrospray Droplets And Gas Phase Proteins: Basic Guidelines And Selected Applications., Lars Konermann, Haidy Metwally, Robert G Mcallister, Vlad Popa
Chemistry Publications
The ability to transfer intact proteins and protein complexes into the gas phase by electrospray ionization (ESI) has opened up numerous mass spectrometry (MS)-based avenues for exploring biomolecular structure and function. However, many details regarding the ESI process and the properties of gaseous analyte ions are difficult to decipher when relying solely on experimental data. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can provide additional insights into the behavior of ESI droplets and protein ions. This review is geared primarily towards experimentalists who wish to adopt MD simulations as a complementary research tool. We touch on basic points such as force fields, the …
Crown Ether Effects On The Location Of Charge Carriers In Electrospray Droplets: Implications For The Mechanism Of Protein Charging And Supercharging., Haidy Metwally, Lars Konermann
Crown Ether Effects On The Location Of Charge Carriers In Electrospray Droplets: Implications For The Mechanism Of Protein Charging And Supercharging., Haidy Metwally, Lars Konermann
Chemistry Publications
"Native" electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) aims to transfer proteins from solution into the gas phase while maintaining solution-like structures and interactions. The ability to control the charge states of protein ions produced in these experiments is of considerable importance. Supercharging agents (SCAs) such as sulfolane greatly elevate charge states without significantly affecting the protein structure in bulk aqueous solution. The origin of native ESI supercharging remains contentious. According to one model, SCAs trigger unfolding within ESI droplets. In contrast, the "charge trapping model" envisions that SCAs impede the ejection of charge carriers (e.g., NH4+ or Na …