Nanodiscs Can Fly: Investigating the Ionization and Dissociation Mechanisms of Lipoprotein Macromolecules

摘要

Native MS allows characterization of the ionization and dissociation of intact Nanodisc complexes. Overlapping peaks from adjacent charge states complicate native mass spectra of Nanodiscs, so a probability-based deconvolution is necessary. Nanodiscs fragment by losing lipids along a relatively well-defined pathway. IRMPD is more effective at fragmenting Nanodiscs than ISCAD or CAD. Compared to FTICR, Q-TOF mass spectra show similar average lipid counts but broader distributions, indicating differences in ionization energetics on the two instruments. Molecular dynamics simulations help visualize structural changes from solution to gas phase.