Matrix-assisted laser desorption ion trap mass spectrometry: efficient isolation and effective fragmentation of peptide ions.

Effective analysis of the sequence of peptides using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) tandem ion trap mass spectrometry requires efficient mass isolation and the ability to induce extensive sequence-specific fragmentation. The present paper describes a new excitation scheme, which we term red-shifted off-resonance large-amplitude excitation (RSORLAE), that can deposit higher amounts of internal energy in ions than is feasible with conventional resonant excitation. The new method provides an effective means for inducing fragmentation of MALDI-produced peptide ions with m/z values up to 3500. Prior to excitation, it is necessary to isolate ions of interest with high efficiency. We demonstrate that isolation efficiencies of > 95% can be achieved by careful design of the rf scan functions used during ion isolation. In particular, sudden transitions in the amplitude of the rf field (from low to high amplitudes) must be avoided. The combined improvements in the efficiency for ion isolation and the efficacy of ion activation make MALDI tandem ion trap mass spectrometry a practical tool for the characterization of proteins with high sensitivity.