Insights into Gas-phase Protein Conformations from Matrix-Assisted Ionization (MAI) using Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry

摘要

MAI-IMS-MS is a useful technology for studying protein conformations in the gas-phase, with calculated CCS values in good agreement with published literature. Using this method, the conformation of lysozyme was studied under various sample preparation conditions, and used as a reference to help understand how the protein misfolds over time when the stabilizing disulfide bonds are reduced. MAI is advantageous for studying protein conformational isomers because it causes less distortion in the ionization process, highlighting features of the conformations that are not as easy to distinguish with ESI or methods that require the use of additional heat or laser power to create analyte ions.