Structural Characterization of Proteins and Peptides

The primary structure of proteins is nowadays determined by DNA sequencing, and a variety of genomes are already known. Nevertheless, protein sequencing/identification is still indispensable to analyze the proteins expressed in a cell, to identify specific proteins, and to determine posttranslational modifications. Proteins of interest are typically available in low microgram amounts or even less. The separation method of choice is gel electrophoresis, followed by blotting to PVDF membrane for N-terminal sequencing or by in-gel digestion to generate peptides that can be separated by HPLC. Structural analysis can be done by Edman degradation or mass spectrometry (MS). Edman degradation is the older method based on successive removal of N-terminal amino acids by chemical methods. Sequencing of a peptide requires many hours, the sensitivity is in the range of 2–5 pmol of a purified peptide. Nevertheless, Edman degradation is still the workhorse in the lab for routine work such as identification of blotted proteins. It is also the method of choice for sequencing unknown proteins/peptides and modified peptides. MS has routinely been used with peptides in the range of 100 fmol or even less. In contrast to Edman degradation, complex mixtures such as tryptic digests can be analyzed, making HPLC separation of peptides unnecessary. MS is a very fast method that can be automated. It is the method of choice for sensitive analysis and large-scale applications (proteomics). Two different ionization methods are commonly used to generate peptide/protein ions for MS analysis. These are MALDI (matrix assisted laser desorption and ionization) and ESI (electrospray ion-ization). They can be combined with a variety of mass analyzers (TOF, quadrupole, ion trap). Proteins are either identified by searching databases with the masses of proteolytic peptides (peptide mass fingerprinting) or using fragmentation data (raw MS/MS spectra or sequence tags). This approach requires that the protein is known and listed in the database. De novo sequencing by MS of peptides is possible, but very time consuming and not a routine application, in contrast to Edman degradation. The aim of this chapter is to introduce to basic theory, practical applications and limitations of the various methods, to enable the non-expert scientist to decide which method is best suited for his project and which kind of sample preparation is necessary.