Analyzing the posttranslational modification status of Notch using mass spectrometry.

Notch is modified by multiple types of posttranslational modifications, most of which are known to affect Notch function. The extracellular domain (ECD) is modified with N-glycosylation and at least three types of O-glycosylation (O-fucose, O-glucose, and O-GlcNAc), while the intracellular domain is hydroxylated, phosphorylated, and ubiquitinated. In order to analyze the structure and function of the O-glycans decorating the ECD, we have developed semiquantitative mass spectral methods for identifying modifications at individual sites on Notch that are generally applicable to most posttranslational modifications. Here we describe the expression and purification of Notch ECD fragments, digestion of the fragments with proteases to prepare for mass spectral analysis, and identification of peptides modified with O-glycans using mass spectrometry.