A fast flow tube study of gas phase H/D exchange of multiply protonated ubiquitin.

An electrospray ionization (ESI)/fast-flow technique has been applied to the study of gas phase hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange kinetics. Multiply charged ubiquitin ions [ubiquitin + nH](n)(+), in charge states n = 7-13, were reacted with ND(3). The behavior of ND(3) as exchange reagent is different from that of the previously studied reagents, D(2)O and CH(3)OD. Contrary to those, the maximum number of exchanged hydrogen atoms and the overall exchange rate were observed to increase with increasing charge state of the ubiquitin ions. The results are reagent-dependent because the exchange mechanisms are different for the different reagents. This observation is in agreement with a recent conclusion by Beauchamp and co-workers that contrary to the assumption often expressed in earlier studies, H/D exchange kinetics may not directly reflect ion structures. The results for all three reagents are, however, consistent with observations of previous ion mobility experiments that with increasing charge state the conformers change from more compact, partially folded structures to elongated nearly linear ones. H/D exchange of (ubiquitin + 13H)(13+) with ND(3) leads to two separated ion populations reflecting the possible existence of two conformers with different exchange rates. The ions (ubiquitin + 8H)(8+) and (ubiquitin + 11H)(11+) represent a partially folded structure and an unfolded structure, respectively, and were studied in greater detail. The relative abundances of ions were measured in steps of 0.5 m/z (mass-to-charge ratio), as a function of the ND(3) flow rate. The experimental results were simulated by computer fitted curves based on a recently developed algorithm. The algorithm allows the extraction of sets of grouped rate constants. Eight rate constant groups were deduced for each of the two ions. These rate constants correspond to 32 and 44 H/D exchanges for the 8+ and 11+ charged ions, respectively. The results indicate higher individual rates for most of the exchanged atoms in the 11+ ion compared to the 8+ ion.