Mass spectrometry analysis of intact protein

The intact protein is analysed by either ESI-TOF MS or Linear MALDI-TOF MS. Generally, ESI-TOF MS is recommended as it is more accurate and requires less sample. Proteins are treated in a variety of ways depending on the sample and the MS method used. Once analysed the result is reported as a mass, plus or minus the experimental error.

Recommended for:

The accurate assignment of a proteins mass

Advantages:

Highly accurate mass information (accurate to 0.01% for ESI-TOF)
Can be used for basic glycoprotein analysis

Disadvantages:

Generally larger amounts of sample are required
The protein must be pure (>90%)
Ideally the sample is in solution, or solid format
Not all proteins are amenable to MS analysis
Highly glycosylated, or variably glycosylated, proteins can be difficult to analyse

For further details or advice on this APAF service please contact us at ms.apaf@mq.edu.au.