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It is now 25 years since we commenced the study of the negative-ion fragmentations of peptides and we have recently concluded this research with investigations of the negative-ion chemistry of most post-translational functional groups. Our first negative-ion peptide review (Bowie, Brinkworth, & Dua, 2002) dealt with the characteristic backbone fragmentations and side-chain cleavages from (M-H) - ions of underivatized peptides, while the second (Bilusich & Bowie, 2009) included negative-ion backbone cleavages for Ser and Cys and some initial data on some post-translational groups including disulfides. This third and final review provides a brief summary of the major backbone and side chain cleavages outlined before (Bowie, Brinkworth, & Dua, 2002) and describes the quantum mechanical hydrogen tunneling associated with some proton transfers in enolate anion/enolate systems. The review then describes, in more depth, the negative-ion cleavages of the post-translational groups Kyn, isoAsp, pyroglu, disulfides, phosphates, and sulfates. Particular emphasis is devoted to disulfides (both intra- and intermolecular) and phosphates because of the extensive and spectacular anion chemistry shown by these groups. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The characteristic fragmentations of a pTyr group in the negative ion electrospray mass spectrum of the [M-H](-) anion of a peptide or protein involve the formation of PO(3) (-) (m/z 79) and the corresponding [(M-H)(-)-HPO(3)](-) species. In some tetrapeptides where pTyr is the third residue, these characteristic anion fragmentations are accompanied by ions corresponding to H(2)PO(4) (-) and [(M-H)(-)-H(3)PO(4)](-) (these are fragmentations normally indicating the presence of pSer or pThr). These product ions are formed by rearrangement processes which involve initial nucleophilic attack of a C-terminal -CO(2) (-) [or -C(==NH)O(-)] group at the phosphorus of the Tyr side chain [an S(N)2(P) reaction]. The rearrangement reactions have been studied by ab initio calculations at the HF/6-31+G(d)//AM1 level of theory. The study suggests the possibility of two processes following the initial S(N)2(P) reaction. In the rearrangement (involving a C-terminal carboxylate anion) with the lower energy reaction profile, the formation of the H(2)PO(4) (-) and [(M-H)(-)-H(3)PO(4)](-) anions is endothermic by 180 and 318 kJ mol(-1), respectively, with a maximum barrier (to a transition state) of 229 kJ mol(-1). The energy required to form H(2)PO(4) (-) by this rearrangement process is (i) more than that necessary to effect the characteristic formation of PO(3) (-) from pTyr, but (ii) comparable with that required to effect the characteristic alpha, beta and gamma backbone cleavages of peptide negative ions., (Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

[M-H](-) anions from small diphosphopeptides (phosphate groups on Ser, Thr or Tyr) show characteristic peaks corresponding to m/z 177 (H(3)P(2)O(7) (-)), 159 (HP(2)O(6) (-)) and sometimes [(M-H)(-)-H(4)P(2)O(7)](-). M/z 177 and m/z 159 are major peaks in the spectra of small peptides with 1,2, 1,3, 1,4, 1,5 and 1,6 diphosphate substitution, which means that the decomposing [M-H](-) anions must have flexible structures in order for the two phosphate groups to interact with each other. Peptides where the two phosphate groups are more than six amino acid residues apart have not been studied. Theoretical calculations indicate that m/z 177 is formed in a strongly exothermic reaction involving facile nucleophilic interaction between the two phosphate groups: m/z 159 is formed by loss of water from energised m/z 177.

Peptides and proteins may contain post-translationally modified phosphorylated amino acid residues, in particular phosphorylated serine (pSer), threonine (pThr) and tyrosine (pTyr). Following earlier work by Lehmann et al., the [M-H]- anions of peptides containing pSer and pThr functionality show loss of the elements of H3PO4. This process, illustrated for Ser (and using a model system), is CH3CONH-C(CH2OPO3H2)CONHCH(3) --> [CH3CONHC(==CH2)CONHCH3 (-OPO3H2)] (a) --> [CH3CONHC(==CH2)CONHCH3-H]- + H3PO4, a process endothermic by 83 kJ mol(-1) at the MP2/6-31++G(d,p)//HF/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory. In addition, intermediate (a) may decompose to yield CH3CONHC(==CH2)CONHCH3 + H2PO4 - in a process exothermic by 3 kJ mol(-1). The barrier to the transition state for these two processes is 49 kJ mol(-1). Characteristic cleavages of pSer and pThr are more energetically favourable than the negative ion backbone cleavages of peptides described previously. In contrast, loss of HPO3 from [M-H]- is characteristic of pTyr. The cleavage [NH2CH(CH2-C6H4-OPO3H-)CO2H] --> [NH2C(CH2-C6H4-O-)CO2H (HPO3)] (b) --> NH2CH(CH2-C6H4-O-)CO2H + HPO3 is endothermic by 318 kJ mol(-1) at the HF/6-31+G(d)//AM1 level of theory. In addition, intermediate (b) also yields NH2CH(CH2-C6H4-OH)CO2H + PO3 - (reaction endothermic by 137 kJ mol(-1)). The two negative ion cleavages of pTyr have a barrier to the transition state of 198 kJ mol(-1) (at the HF/6-31+G(d)//AM1 level of theory) comparable with those already reported for negative ion backbone cleavages.