Direct MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric peptide profiling of neuroendocrine tissue of Drosophila.

Direct MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric peptide profiling is increasingly used to analyze the peptide complement in the nervous system of a variety of invertebrate animals, from leech to Aplysia and many arthropod species, especially insects and crustaceans. Proper sample preparation is often the most crucial step to obtain the necessary data. Here, we describe protocols for the use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to directly analyze the peptidome of neuroendocrine tissues of insects, particularly Drosophila melanogaster, by MALDI-TOF MS.