Enabling Real-Time Compensation in Fast Photochemical Oxidations of Proteins for the Determination of Protein Topography Changes

Summary

Fast photochemical oxidation of proteins is an emerging technique for the structural characterization of proteins. Different solvent additives and ligands have varied hydroxyl radical scavenging properties. To compare the protein structure in different conditions, real-time compensation of hydroxyl radicals generated in the reaction is required to normalize reaction conditions.

Abstract

Fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) is a mass spectrometry-based structural biology technique that probes the solvent-accessible surface area of proteins. This technique relies on the reaction of amino acid side chains with hydroxyl radicals freely diffusing in solution. FPOP generates these radicals in situ by laser photolysis of hydrogen peroxide, creating a burst of hydroxyl radicals that is depleted on the order of a microsecond. When these hydroxyl radicals react with a solvent-accessible amino acid side chain, the reaction products exhibit a mass shift that can be measured and quantified by mass spectrometry. Since the rate of reaction of an amino acid depends in part on the average solvent accessible surface of that amino acid, measured changes in the amount of oxidation of a given region of a protein can be directly correlated to changes in the solvent accessibility of that region between different conformations (e.g., ligand-bound versus ligand-free, monomer vs. aggregate, etc.) FPOP has been applied in a number of problems in biology, including protein-protein interactions, protein conformational changes, and protein-ligand binding. As the available concentration of hydroxyl radicals varies based on many experimental conditions in the FPOP experiment, it is important to monitor the effective radical dose to which the protein analyte is exposed. This monitoring is efficiently achieved by incorporating an inline dosimeter to measure the signal from the FPOP reaction, with laser fluence adjusted in real-time to achieve the desired amount of oxidation. With this compensation, changes in protein topography reflecting conformational changes, ligand-binding surfaces, and/or protein-protein interaction interfaces can be determined in heterogeneous samples using relatively low sample amounts.

Introduction

Fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) is an emerging technique for the determination of protein topographical changes by ultra-fast covalent modification of the solvent-exposed surface area of proteins followed by detection by LC-MS¹. FPOP generates a high concentration of hydroxyl radicals in situ by UV laser flash photolysis of hydrogen peroxide. These hydroxyl radicals are very reactive and short lived, consumed on roughly a microsecond timescale under FPOP conditions². These hydroxyl radicals diffuse through water and oxidize various organic components in solution at kinetic rates generally ranging from fas....

Protocol

1. Prepare the Optical Bench and the Capillary for FPOP

CAUTION: KrF excimer lasers are extreme eye hazards, and direct or reflected light can cause permanent eye damage. Always wear appropriate eye protection, avoid the presence of any reflective objects near the beam path when possible, and use engineering controls to prevent unauthorized access to an active laser and to restrain any stray reflections.

1. Prepare the FPOP optical bench.
   1. Turn on the laser to warm up. Set the laser to External Trigger, Constant Energy, No Gas Replacement. Set the laser energy per pulse (typically between 80-120 mJ/pulse).
   2. Set....

Results

Comparison of the heavy chain peptide footprint of the adalimumab biosimilar in phosphate buffer and when heated at 55 °C for 1 h show interesting results. Student’s t-test is used for the identification of peptides that are significantly changed in these two conditions (p ≤ 0.05). The peptides 20-38, 99-125, 215-222, 223-252, 260-278, 376-413, and 414-420 show significant protection from solvent when the protein is heated to form aggregates (Figure 5)³⁰. This experim.......

Discussion

Mass spectrometry-based structural techniques, including hydrogen-deuterium exchange, chemical cross-linking, covalent labeling, and native spray mass spectrometry and ion mobility have been rapidly growing in popularity due to their flexibility, sensitivity, and ability to handle complex mixtures. FPOP boasts several advantages that has boosted its popularity in the area of mass spectrometry-based structural techniques. Like most covalent labeling strategies, it provides a stable chemical snapshot of protein topography .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Adenine	Acros Organics	147440250	Soluble in water upto 3.5 mM
Aperture	Edmund Optics	39-905	1000 μm Aperture Diameter, Gold-Plated Copper Aperture
Aperture holder	Edmund Optics	53-287	25.8mm Outer Diameter, Precision Pinhole Mount
Catalse	Sigma Aldrich	C-40	Catalase from bovine liver, lyophilized powder, ≥10,000 units/mg protein
COMPex Pro laser	Coherent	1113836	COMPexPRO 102, F-Vversion, KrF laser, No XeCl
Dithiotheitol (DTT)	Promega	V3151	DTT, Molecular Grade (DL-Dithiothreitol)
Fraction collector	GenNext Technologies, Inc.	N/A	Automated fraction collector
Fused silica capillay	Molex	1068150023	Polymicro Flexible Fused Silica Capillary Tubing, Inner Diameter 100 µm, Outer Diameter 375 µm, TSP100375
Glutamine	Acros Organics	119951000	L(+)-Glutamine, 99%
Holder for lens	Edmund Optics	03-668	53 mm Outer Diameter, Three-Screw Adjustable Ring Mount
Hydrogen peroxide	Fisher Scientific	H325-100	Hydrogen Peroxide, 30% (Certified ACS), Fisher Chemical
LC-MS/MS system	Thermo Scientific	IQLAAEGAAPFADBMBCX	Dionex Ultimate 3000 coupled to Orbitap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometer
Mas spec grade Acetonitrile	Fisher Scientific	A955-1	Acetonitrile, Optima LC/MS Grade, Fisher Chemical
Mass spec grade formic acid	Fisher Scientific	A117-50	Formic Acid, 99.0+%, Optima™ LC/MS Grade, Fisher Chemical
Mass spec grade water	Fisher Scientific	W6-4	Water, Optima LC/MS Grade, Fisher Chemical
MES buffer	Sigma Aldrich	M0164	MES hemisodium salt
Methionine amide	Bachem	4000594.0005	H-met-NH2.HCl
Micro V clamp	Thor Labs	VK250	Micro V-clamp with stainless steel blades
Motorized stage	Edmund Optics	68-638	50mm Travel Motorized Stage System with Manual Control
Nano C18 colum	Thermo Scientific	164534	Acclaim PepMap 100 C18 HPLC Columns
Optical bench	Edmund Optics	56-935	18" x 18" breadboard
Pioneer FPOP Module System	GenNext Technologies, Inc.	N/A	Inline FPOP Radical Dosimetry System
Post holder	Edmund Optics	58-979	3" Length, ¼-20 Thread, Post Holder
Sodium phosphate dibasic	Fisher Scientific	BP331-500	Sodium Phosphate Dibasic Heptahydrate (Colorless-to-White Crystals), Fisher BioReagents
Sodium phosphate monobasic	Fisher Scientific	BP330-500	Sodium Phosphate Monobasic Monohydrate (Colorless-to-white Crystals), Fisher BioReagents
Syringe	Hamilton	81065	100 µL, Model 1710 RN SYR, Small Removable NDL, 22s ga, 2 in, point style 3
Syringe pump	KD Scientific	788101	Legato 101 syringe pump
Trap C18 column	Thermo Scientific	160454	Thermo Scientific Acclaim PepMap 100 C18 HPLC Columns
Tris	Sigma Aldrich	252859	Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane
Trypsin	Promega	V5111	Sequencing Grade Modified Trypsin
UV plano convex lens	Edmund Optics	84-285	30 mm Dia. x 120 mm FL Uncoated, UV Plano-Convex Lens