1 research outputs found
Cryogenic Spectroscopy and Quantum Molecular Dynamics Determine the Structure of Cyclic Intermediates Involved in Peptide Sequence Scrambling
Collision-induced dissociation (CID)
is a key technique used in
mass spectrometry-based peptide sequencing. Collisionally activated
peptides undergo statistical dissociation, forming a series of backbone
fragment ions that reflect their amino acid (AA) sequence. Some of
these fragments may experience a “head-to-tail” cyclization,
which after proton migration, can lead to the cyclic structure opening
in a different place than the initially formed bond. This process
leads to AA sequence scrambling that may hinder sequencing of the
initial peptide. Here we combine cryogenic ion spectroscopy and <i>ab initio</i> molecular dynamics simulations to isolate and
characterize the precise structures of key intermediates in the scrambling
process. The most stable peptide fragments show intriguing symmetric
cyclic structures in which the proton is situated on a <i>C</i><sub>2</sub> symmetry axis and forms exceptionally short H-bonds
(1.20 Ă…) with two backbone oxygens. Other nonsymmetric cyclic
structures also exist, one of which is protonated on the amide nitrogen,
where ring opening is likely to occur