Dual track time-of-flight mass spectrometry for peptide quantification with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization

Abstract

RATIONALE: Previously, we reported a method (Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 10332) for peptide quantification based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). In the method, the peptide-to-matrix ion abundance ratio was utilized. Implementation of the method with a commercial MALDI-TOF can be somewhat inconvenient because matrix-derived ions are routinely deflected away to avoid detector saturation. A solution for this inconvenience is required. METHODS: We installed a detector to acquire the TOF spectrum of the ions thrown away to avoid detector saturation. By sending the matrix- and peptide-derived ions along two different tracks and detecting them with different detectors, the inconvenience mentioned above could be avoided. RESULTS: Excellent linearity of the calibration curves obtained by the dual track TOF spectrometry is demonstrated. The method also allows for the acquisition of the tandem mass spectrum of a selected peptide, which can be useful for its identification. CONCLUSIONS: We devised the dual track MALDI-TOF MS method to avoid detector saturation and demonstrated that the quantification and identification of peptides can be performed simultaneously.