A Systematic Study of Acidic Peptides for B-Type Sequence Scrambling

Abstract

A systematic study was carried out to examine the effects of acidic amino acid residues and the position of the acidic group on the cyclization of b ions. The study utilized the model C-terminal amidated eptides AAAAAA, AXAAAAA, AAXAAAA, AAAXAAA, AAAAXAA, AAAAAXA, AAAAAAX, XXAAAAAA, AAXXAAAA, AAAAXXAA, and AAAAAAXX, where X is a glutamic acid (E) or aspartic acid (D) residue. The CID mass spectra of bn (where n=7 and 8) ions derived from XAAAAAA, AAAXAAA, AAAAAAX and XXAAAAAA, AAXXAAAA, AAAAXXAA, and AAAAAAXX exhibited very similar fragmentation patterns for both the glutamic and the aspartic acid peptide series. The CID mass spectra of MH+ derived from model peptides presented substantial direct and non-direct sequence bions. The results indicate that b ions produced from acidic peptides can also undergo head-to-tail cyclization, which is the reason for the formation of the non-direct sequence b ions. The bion spectra derived from the peptides became more complex as the number of acidic residues in the peptides increased. Side chains of glutamic and aspartic acid did not inhibit the cyclization of the b ions. Substantial water elimination was observed in all CID spectra of b7 and b8 ions. Finally, the preferential cleavage of glutamic or aspartic acid residues from macrocyclic structures of b ions was also investigated under various collision energy conditions.