title: Preliminary mechanistic information on disulfide-bond formation and the role of hydrogen bonds by nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry.
abstract: The formation of disulfide-bonds is vital for the proper folding of most secreted proteins and the stabilization of the final protein structure, including many of medical importance. The determination of disulfide-bonds is an important aspect of gaining a comprehensive understanding of the chemical structure of a protein. A long-term goal of ours is to examine the mechanism of disulfide-bond formation in aqueous solution and the potential role hydrogen bonds play in this process. Here, we report preliminary results from a method that utilizes the oxidizing power of iodine to generate disulfide bonds from synthesized model compounds, which is followed by nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI)- mass spectrometry (MS). By continuously monitoring the reaction mixture during disulfide formation, this nanoESI approach provides insight on the sequence of intermediate species formed, and how hydrogen-bonding donor/acceptor pairs may promote disulfide bond formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA.
authors.forename: Honghai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Minfeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Marie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moy
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Troy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008832:Microchemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides