Optimization of the fragmentation in a frit-fast atom bombardment ion source for the sequencing of peptides at the picomole level.

Peptides derived from enzymatic digestions (cathepsin D and trypsin) were characterized and amino acid sequences determined by using their LC/MS spectra. A Frit-FAB interface that produces extensive peptide fragmentation and permits amino acid sequencing at the low picomole level is described for a model antigen, Staphylococcus aureus nuclease (Nase), and an enzyme of unknown structure, yeast aminopeptidase B. The amino acid sequences of peptides derived from digestion of Nase with cathepsin D (a relatively nonspecific endoprotease) were readily deduced and have provided insights into the nature of antigen processing. Frit-FAB LC/MS spectra of the Nase peptides contained a sufficient number of fragment ions to conclusively identify peptides with a mass below 2000 Da. Capillary LC/MS provided a means for the separation and identification of these enzymatically derived peptides in a fraction of the time that would have been required by gas-phase Edman sequence analysis. The optimized Frit-FAB experiment was consequently evaluated for the partial characterization of aminopeptidase B recently purified to homogeneity from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sequence-specific ions observed in the Frit-FAB mass spectra of these tryptic peptides were identical with those commonly observed in high-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra and included side-chain fragment ions that differentiated leucine from isoleucine. These fragment ions were used to deduce entire amino acid sequences for several of the tryptic peptides.