Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Tandem Mass Spectrometry of Peptides and Proteins.

Mass spectrometry has become one of the preferred methods of detection for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses of biopolymers for a broad range of applications. The primary reason for its widespread use is the value of the information obtained from these types of measurements. When liquid chromatography is interfaced directly to mass spectrometry (LC-MS), molecular weight information can be retrieved from the mass spectra acquired continuously as various components elute from the chromatographic column. In some cases, the identity of the protein or peptide can be assigned immediately if the mass measurements are determined with sufficient accuracy. However, it is more likely that additional information regarding molecular structure is required for identification. In tandem mass spectrometry experiments (LC-MS/MS), structural data are readily generated by fragmentation of peptides (or protein-derived peptides) in the mass spectrometer using the technique of collision-induced dissociation (CID). The fragments generated with CID all originate from the precursor; thus, supplementary information relating to the primary sequence and post-translational modifications of the protein or peptide is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]