Engineering topics

Belov, Mikhail E

Publications and source records attributed to Belov, Mikhail E.

15 records

DOE OSTI2014

Orthogonal ion injection apparatus and process

An orthogonal ion injection apparatus and process are described in which ions are directly injected into an ion guide orthogonal to the ion guide axis through an inlet opening located on a side of the ion guide. The end of the heated capillary is placed inside the ion guide such that the ions are directly injected into DC and RF fields inside the ion guide, which efficiently confines ions inside the ion guide. Liquid droplets created by the ionization source that are carried through the capillary into the ion guide are removed from the ion guide by a strong directional gas flow through an inlet opening on the opposite side of the ion guide. Strong DC and RF fields divert ions into the ion guide. In-guide orthogonal injection yields a noise level that is a factor of 1.5 to 2 lower than conventional inline injection known in the art. Signal intensities for low m/z ions are greater compared to convention inline injection under the same processing conditions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2013

System and method for collisional activation of charged particles

A collision cell is disclosed that provides ion activation in various selective modes. Ion activation is performed inside selected segments of a segmented quadrupole that provides maximum optimum capture and collection of fragmentation products. The invention provides collisional cooling of precursor ions as well as product fragments and further allows effective transmission of ions through a high pressure interface into a coupled mass analysis instrument.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2013

System and process for pulsed multiple reaction monitoring

A new pulsed multiple reaction monitoring process and system are disclosed that uses a pulsed ion injection mode for use in conjunction with triple-quadrupole instruments. The pulsed injection mode approach reduces background ion noise at the detector, increases amplitude of the ion signal, and includes a unity duty cycle that provides a significant sensitivity increase for reliable quantitation of proteins/peptides present at attomole levels in highly complex biological mixtures.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2011

New Developments in LC-MS and Other Hyphenated Techniques

Extensive challenges faced by analytical chemists in studying real world complex samples such as biological body fluids, tissue samples, environmental and geological samples have lead to the development of advanced analytical approaches. The vast array of contemporary technologies can be categorized into two major areas: sample separation and mass spectrometry analysis. Current state-of-the-art sample separation methods include gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, ultra high pressure liquid chromatography, solid phase extraction, capillary electrophoresis, and gas phase separation techniques such as ion mobility spectrometry. The recent trend in sample separation is to combine (or hyphenate) multiple techniques that employ different separation mechanisms to maximize separation efficiency. The most widely used combinations include two-dimensional gas chromatography, strong cation exchange or weak cation exchange chromatography followed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography, two-dimensional reversed-phase liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography followed by ion mobility spectrometry and two-dimensional electrophoresis techniques. The introduction of atmospheric pressure ionization techniques such as electrospray ionization and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization and variations of the two have drastically increased the impact of mass spectrometry on bioanalytical applications. Mass spectrometry itself has tremendously improved over the years in terms of sensitivity, detection limits, dynamic range and sequencing capabilities. Currently, mass spectrometers can attain zeptomolole detection limits with five orders of magnitude dynamic range. In this chapter, we summarize recent developments in hyphenated techniques and their applications to complex sample analysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2011

Ultra-Fast Sample Preparation for High-Throughput Proteomics

Sample preparation oftentimes can be the Achilles Heel of any analytical process and in the field of proteomics, preparing samples for mass spectrometric analysis is no exception. Current goals, concerning proteomic sample preparation on a large scale, include efforts toward improving reproducibility, reducing the time of processing and ultimately the automation of the entire workflow. This chapter reviews an array of recent approaches applied to bottom-up proteomics sample preparation to reduce the processing time down from hours to minutes. The current state-of-the-art in the field uses different energy inputs like microwave, ultrasound or pressure to perform the four basic steps in sample preparation: protein extraction, denaturation, reduction and alkylation, and digestion. No single energy input for enhancement of proteome sample preparation has become the universal gold standard. Instead, a combination of different energy inputs tend to produce the best results. This chapter further describes the future trends in the field such as the hyphenation of sample preparation with downstream detection and analysis systems. Finally, a detailed protocol describing the combined use of both pressure cycling technology and ultrasonic energy inputs to hasten proteomic sample preparation is presented.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2011

Ultrasensitive Identification of Localization Variants of Modified Peptides Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Localization of the modification sites on peptides is challenging, particularly when multiple modifications or mixtures of localization isomers (variants) are involved. Such variants commonly coelute in liquid chromatography and may be undistinguishable in tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for lack of unique fragments. Here, we have resolved the variants of singly and doubly phosphorylated peptides employing drift tube ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Even with a moderate IMS resolving power of ~80, substantial separation was achieved for both 2+ and 3+ ions normally generated by electrospray ionization, including for the variant indistinguishable by MS/MS. Variants often exhibit a distribution of 3-D conformers, which can be adjusted for optimum IMS separation by prior field heating of ions in a funnel trap. The peak assignments were confirmed using MS/MS after IMS separation, but known species could be identified using just the ion mobility "tag". Avoiding the MS/MS step lowers the detection limit of localization variants to <100 attomoles, an order of magnitude better than provided by electron transfer dissociation in an Orbitrap MS.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2011

Pulsed Multiple Reaction Monitoring Approach to Enhancing Sensitivity of a Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

Liquid chromatography (LC)-triple quadrupole mass spectrometers operating in a Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode are increasingly used for quantitative analysis of low abundance analytes in highly complex biochemical matrices. After development and selection of optimum MRM transition, sensitivity and data quality limitations are largely related to mass spectral peak interferences from sample or matrix constituents and statistical limitations at low number of ions reaching the detector. Herein, we report a new approach to enhancing MRM sensitivity by converting the continuous stream of ions from the ion source into a pulsed ion beam through the use of an Ion Funnel Trap (IFT). Evaluation of the pulsed MRM approach was performed with a tryptic digest of Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 spiked with several reference peptides. The sensitivity improvement observed with the IFT coupled to the triple quadrupole instrument is based on several unique features. First, ion accumulation in the radio frequency (RF) ion trap facilitates improved droplet desolvation, which is manifested in the reduced background ion noise at the detector. Second, signal amplitude for a given transition is enhanced because of an order-of-magnitude increase in the ion charge density per unit time compared to a continuous mode of operation. Third, signal detection at the full duty cycle is obtained, as the trap use eliminates dead times between transitions, which are inevitable with continuous ion streams. In comparison with the conventional approach, the pulsed MRM signals showed up to 5-fold enhanced peak amplitude and 2-3 fold reduced chemical background, resulting in an improvement in the limit of detection (LOD) by a factor of ~ 4 to ~ 8.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2011

Ion funnel ion trap and process

An ion funnel trap is described that includes a inlet portion, a trapping portion, and a outlet portion that couples, in normal operation, with an ion funnel. The ion trap operates efficiently at a pressure of .about.1 Torr and provides for: 1) removal of low mass-to-charge (m/z) ion species, 2) ion accumulation efficiency of up to 80%, 3) charge capacity of .about.10,000,000 elementary charges, 4) ion ejection time of 40 to 200 .mu.s, and 5) optimized variable ion accumulation times. Ion accumulation with low concentration peptide mixtures has shown an increase in analyte signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of a factor of 30, and a greater than 10-fold improvement in SNR for multiply charged analytes.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2011

Pressurized Pepsin Digestion in Proteomics: An Automatable Alternative to Trypsin for Integrated Top-down Bottom-up Proteomics

Integrated top-down bottom-up proteomics combined with online digestion has great potential to improve the characterization of protein isoforms in biological systems and is amendable to highthroughput proteomics experiments. Bottom-up proteomics ultimately provides the peptide sequences derived from the tandem MS analyses of peptides after the proteome has been digested. Top-down proteomics conversely entails the MS analyses of intact proteins for more effective characterization of genetic variations and/or post-translational modifications (PTMs). Herein, we describe recent efforts towards efficient integration of bottom-up and top-down LCMS based proteomic strategies. Since most proteomic platforms (i.e. LC systems) operate in acidic environments, we exploited the compatibility of the pepsin (i.e. the enzyme’s natural acidic activity) for the integration of bottom-up and top-down proteomics. Pressure enhanced pepsin digestions were successfully performed and characterized with several standard proteins in either an offline mode using a Barocycler or an online mode using a modified high pressure LC system referred to as a fast online digestion system (FOLDS). FOLDS was tested using pepsin and a whole microbial proteome, and the results compared against traditional trypsin digestions on the same platform. Additionally, FOLDS was integrated with a RePlay configuration to demonstrate an ultra-rapid integrated bottom-up top-down proteomic strategy employing a standard mixture of proteins and a monkey pox virus proteome.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2010

An architecture for real time data acquisition and online signal processing for high throughput tandem mass spectrometry

Independent, greedy collection of data events using simple heuristics results in massive over-sampling of the prominent data features in large-scale studies over what should be achievable through “intelligent,” online acquisition of such data. As a result, data generated are more aptly described as a collection of a large number of small experiments rather than a true large-scale experiment. Nevertheless, achieving “intelligent,” online control requires tight interplay between state-of-the-art, data-intensive computing infrastructure developments and analytical algorithms. In this paper, we propose a Software Architecture for Mass spectrometry-based Proteomics coupled with Liquid chromatography Experiments (SAMPLE) to develop an “intelligent” online control and analysis system to significantly enhance the information content from each sensor (in this case, a mass spectrometer). Using online analysis of data events as they are collected and decision theory to optimize the collection of events during an experiment, we aim to maximize the information content generated during an experiment by the use of pre-existing knowledge to optimize the dynamic collection of events.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2010

A multi-pronged search for a common structural motif in the secretion signal of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium type III effector proteins

Many pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria use a type III secretion system (T3SS) to deliver effector proteins into the host cell where they reprogram host defenses and facilitate pathogenesis. While it has been determined that the first 20 - 30 N-terminal residues usually contain the ‘secretion signal’ that targets effector proteins for translocation, the molecular basis for recognition of this signal is not understood. Recent machine-learning approaches, such as SVM-based Identification and Evaluation of Virulence Effectors (SIEVE), have improved the ability to identify effector proteins from genomics sequence information. While these methods all suggest that the T3SS secretion signal has a characteristic amino acid composition bias, it is still unclear if the amino acid pattern is important and if there are any unifying structural properties that direct recognition. To address these issues a peptide corresponding to the secretion signal for Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium effector SseJ was synthesized (residues 1-30, SseJ) along with scrambled peptides of the same amino acid composition that produced high (SseJ-H) and low (SseJ-L) SIEVE scores. The secretion properties of these three peptides were tested using a secretion signal-CyaA fusion assay and their structures systematically probed using circular dichroism, nuclear magnetic resonance, and ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry. The signal-CyaA fusion assay showed that the native and SseJ-H fusion constructs were secreted into J774 macrophage at similar levels via the SPI-2 secretion pathway while secretion of the SseJ-L fusion construct was substantially retarded, suggesting that the SseJ secretion signal was sequence order dependent. The structural studies showed that the SseJ, SseJ-H, and SseJ-L peptides were intrinsically disordered in aqueous solution with only a small predisposition to adopt nascent helical structure in the presence of the powerful structure stabilizing agent, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). Intrinsic disorder may be a universal feature of effector secretion signals as analogous conclusions were reached following a similar structural characterization of peptides corresponding to the N-terminal regions of the S. Typhimurium effectors SptP, SopD-2, GtgE, and the Yersinia pestis effector YopH.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2010

An efficient data format for mass spectrometry based proteomics

The diverse range of mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation along with corresponding proprietary and non-proprietary data formats has generated a proteomics community driven call for a standardized format to facilitate management, processing, storing, visualization, and exchange of both experimental and processed data. To date, significant efforts have been extended towards standardizing XML-based formats for mass spectrometry data representation, despite the recognized inefficiencies associated with storing large numeric datasets in XML. The proteomics community has periodically entertained alternate strategies for data exchange, e.g., using a common application programming interface or a database-derived format. However these efforts have yet to garner significant attention, mostly because they haven’t illustrated significant performance benefits over existing standards, but also due to issues such as extensibility to multi-dimensional separation systems, robustness of operation, and incomplete or mismatched vocabulary. Here, we describe a format based on standard database principles that offers multiple benefits over existing formats in terms of storage size, ease of processing, data retrieval times and extensibility to accommodate multi-dimensional separation systems.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2010

Characterization of an Ion Mobility-Multiplexed Collision Induced Dissociation- Tandem Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Approach

The confidence in peptide (and protein) identifications with ion mobility spectrometry time-of-flight mass spectrometry (IMS-TOFMS) is expected to drastically improve with the addition of information from an efficient ion dissociation step prior to MS detection. High throughput IMS-TOFMS analysis imposes a strong need for multiplexed ion dissociation approaches where multiple precursor ions yield complex sets of fragment ions that are often intermingled with each other in both the drift time and m/z domains. We have developed and evaluated a novel approach for collision-induced dissociation (CID) with an IMS-TOFMS instrument. It has been shown that precursor ions activated inside an rf-device with an axial dc-electric field produce abundant fragment ions which are radially confined with the rf-field and collisionally cooled at an elevated pressure, resulting in high CID efficiencies comparable or higher than those measured in triple-quadrupole instruments We have also developed an algorithm for deconvoluting these complex multiplexed tandem MS spectra by clustering both the precursor and fragment ions into the matching drift time profiles and by effectively utilizing high mass measurement accuracy of the TOFMS. In a single IMS separation with a tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin (BSA), we have reliably identified 20 unique peptides using multiplexed CID approach downstream of the IMS separation. Peptides were identified based upon the correlation between the precursor and fragment drift time profiles and by matching the profile representative masses to those of in silico BSA tryptic peptides and their fragments. The false discovery rate (FDR) of peptide identifications from multiplexed MS/MS spectra was less than 1%.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2010

Ion Accumulation Approaches for Increasing Sensitivity and Dynamic Range in the Analysis of Complex Samples

EXTERNAL ACCUMULATION OF IONS FOR FTICR DETECTION The need for higher mass accuracy and precision in analysis of e.g. biological compounds is now commonly addressed by storing charged particles in an ion trap using a superposition of the constant static magnetic and spatially inhomogeneous electric fields, often referred to as Penning trap. The Penning trap has been successfully employed in Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FTICR) MS instrumentation. Since its inception in 1973,1 FTICR has been the subject of multiple reviews,2-9 several journal issues10,11 and books12,13 that give a full-range technical introduction to both single ion and more populated ion clouds (a group of ions who’s motion is to some extent influenced by the other ions in the cloud) behavior in combined magnetic and electric fields, subsequent signal processing, and technique applications. Principles and design of geometric and electrical configurations of ICR traps have been also reviewed.14 The reader is referred to these publications for more information. Herein, we will give a brief overview of the ion cloud behavior in the superimposed magnetic and electric fields, with an emphasis on ICR trap design, and highlight FTICR performance improvements due to accumulation of ions in another trap external to FTICR.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2010

Dynamic multiplexed analysis method using ion mobility spectrometer

A method for multiplexed analysis using ion mobility spectrometer in which the effectiveness and efficiency of the multiplexed method is optimized by automatically adjusting rates of passage of analyte materials through an IMS drift tube during operation of the system. This automatic adjustment is performed by the IMS instrument itself after determining the appropriate levels of adjustment according to the method of the present invention. In one example, the adjustment of the rates of passage for these materials is determined by quantifying the total number of analyte molecules delivered to the ion trap in a preselected period of time, comparing this number to the charge capacity of the ion trap, selecting a gate opening sequence; and implementing the selected gate opening sequence to obtain a preselected rate of analytes within said IMS drift tube.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗