Improved mass analysis of oligoribonucleotides by 13C, 15N double depletion and electrospray ionization FT-ICR mass spectrometry.

13C, 15N doubly depleted 32-ribonucleotide was synthesized enzymatically by in vitro transcription from nucleoside triphosphates isolated from E. coli grown in a minimal medium containing 12C, 14N-enriched glucose and ammonium sulfate. Following purification and desalting by reversed-phase HPLC, buffer exchange with Microcon YM-3, and ethanol precipitation, electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectra revealed greatly enhanced abundance of monoisotopic ions (by a factor of approximately 100) and a narrower isotopic distribution with higher signal-to-noise ratio. The abrupt onset and high magnitude of the monoisotopic species promise to facilitate accurate mass measurement of RNA's.