Investigation of fennel protein extracts by shot-gun Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

A rapid shot-gun method by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) is proposed for the characterization of fennel proteins. After enzymatic digestion with trypsin, few microliters of extract were analyzed by direct infusion in positive ion mode. A custom-made non-redundant fennel-specific proteome database was derived from the well-known NCBI database; additional proteins belonging to recognized allergenic sources (celery, carrot, parsley, birch, and mugwort) were also included in our database, since patients hypersensitive to these plants could also suffer from fennel allergy. The peptide sequence of each protein from that derived list was theoretically sequenced to produce calculated m/z lists of possible m/z ions after tryptic digestions. Then, by using a home-made Matlab algorithm, those lists were matched with the experimental FT-ICR mass spectrum of the fennel peptide mixture. Finally, Peptide Mass Fingerprint searches confirmed the presence of the matched proteins inside the fennel extract with a total of 70 proteins (61 fennel specific and 9 allergenic proteins)

Oligomer formation during gas-phase ozonolysis of small alkenes and enol ethers: new evidence for the central role of the Criegee Intermediate as oligomer chain unit

An important fraction of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed by atmospheric oxidation of diverse volatile organic compounds (VOC) has recently been shown to consist of high-molecular weight oligomeric species. In our previous study (Sadezky et al., 2006), we reported the identification and characterization of oligomers as main constituents of SOA from gas-phase ozonolysis of small enol ethers. These oligomers contained repeated chain units of the same chemical composition as the main Criegee Intermediates (CI) formed during the ozonolysis reaction, which were CH<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (mass 46) for alkyl vinyl ethers (AVE) and C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (mass 60) for ethyl propenyl ether (EPE). In the present work, we extend our previous study to another enol ether (ethyl butenyl ether EBE) and a variety of structurally related small alkenes (<i>trans</i>-3-hexene, <i>trans</i>-4-octene and 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene). <br><br> Experiments have been carried out in a 570 l spherical glass reactor at atmospheric conditions in the absence of seed aerosol. SOA formation was measured by a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). SOA filter samples were collected and chemically characterized off-line by ESI(+)/TOF MS and ESI(+)/TOF MS/MS, and elemental compositions were determined by ESI(+)/FTICR MS and ESI(+)/FTICR MS/MS. The results for all investigated unsaturated compounds are in excellent agreement with the observations of our previous study. Analysis of the collected SOA filter samples reveal the presence of oligomeric compounds in the mass range 200 to 800 u as major constituents. The repeated chain units of these oligomers are shown to systematically have the same chemical composition as the respective main Criegee Intermediate (CI) formed during ozonolysis of the unsaturated compounds, which is C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>6</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (mass 74) for ethyl butenyl ether (EBE), <i>trans</i>-3-hexene, and 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, and C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>8</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (mass 88) for extit{trans}-4-octene. Analogous fragmentation pathways among the oligomers formed by gas-phase ozonolysis of the different alkenes and enol ethers in our present and previous study, characterized by successive losses of the respective CI-like chain unit as a neutral fragment, indicate a similar principal structure. In this work, we confirm the basic structure of a linear oligoperoxide – [CH(R)-O-O]<sub>n</sub> – for all detected oligomers, with the repeated chain unit CH(R)OO corresponding to the respective major CI. The elemental compositions of parent ions, fragment ions and fragmented neutrals determined by accurate mass measurements with the FTICR technique allow us to assign a complete structure to the oligomer molecules. We suggest that the formation of the oligoperoxidic chain units occurs through a new gas-phase reaction mechanism observed for the first time in our present work, which involves the addition of stabilized CI to organic peroxy radicals. Furthermore, copolymerization of CI simultaneously formed in the gas phase from two different unsaturated compounds is shown to occur during the ozonolysis of a mixture of extit{trans}-3-hexene and ethyl vinyl ether (EVE), leading to formation of oligomers with mixed chain units C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>6</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (mass 74) and CH<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (mass 46). We therefore suggest oligoperoxide formation by repeated peroxy radical-stabilized CI addition to be a general reaction pathway of small stabilized CI in the gas phase, which represents an alternative way to high-molecular products and thus contributes to SOA formation

Regulatory role of hexosamine biosynthetic pathway on hepatic cancer stem cell marker CD133 under low glucose conditions

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Gas phase ion-molecule reactions of inorganic compounds in FT-ICR-MS.

Reactions between ions and reactive neutrals in the gas phase at near thermal energy conditions are feasible, provided that means exist to trap ions for a couple of seconds for collisions between ions and reactive neutrals to occur. The ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) technique provides an excellent environment for such gas phase ion-molecule reactions to take place, giving also the opportunity to correlate both reactant and product ions and to determine sum formulae with ultra-high resolution. Moreover, ICR can also enable structure elucidation by several techniques like collision induced dissociation (CID) experiments. Acceleration of some reactive ions can also induce endothermic ion-molecule reactions to occur. The authors give a systematic overview of gas phase ion chemistry of non-metal main group elements, covering a wide spectrum of reactions, as well as their rate constant determinations and thermodynamic ion energetics

Phosphoranide production and decomposition in the gas phase.

After characterizing the negative ion chemistry of tris(trifluoromethyl) phosphine in a previous work, new insights about the interpretation of the MS/MS mass spectrum of the phosphide anion (CF3)2P- m/z 169 could be revealed and are described in this current work. The phosphide (CF3)2P- anion, m/z 169, was accelerated in a cloud of (CF3)3P neutrals and new product ions could be detected which do not belong to fragmentation channels. Instead, high mass anions m/z 207 and m/z 257 are found, and the reaction mechanism could be revealed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations at B3LYP/6-311 + G(3df)//B3LYP/6-31 + G(2d) level of theory. The formation of the phosphoranide (CF3)3PF- m/z 257 is the result of a fluoride anion transfer from the accelerated phosphide anion (CF3) 2P- m/z 169 to the (CF3)3P neutral m = 238. Decomposition of the newly formed phosphoranide (CF3) 3PF- m/z 257 leads to the formation of smaller phosphoranides (CF3)2PF2 - m/z 207 and CF3PF3 - m/z 157 as a result of successive CF2 eliminations. A new rearrangement in the formed phosphoranide (CF3)2PF2 - could be revealed, whereby a CC bond formation can take place and the product anion C 2F5 - m/z 119 could be experimentally obtained