title: Mass spectrometry in studies of protein thiol chemistry and signaling: opportunities and caveats.
abstract: Mass spectrometry (MS) has become a powerful and widely utilized tool in the investigation of protein thiol chemistry, biochemistry, and biology. Very early biochemical studies of metabolic enzymes have brought to light the broad spectrum of reactivity profiles that distinguish cysteine thiols with functions in catalysis and protein stability from other cysteine residues in proteins. The development of MS methods for the analysis of proteins using electrospray ionization (ESI) or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) coupled with the emergence of high-resolution mass analyzers has been instrumental in advancing studies of thiol modifications, both in single proteins and within the cellular context. This article reviews MS instrumentation and methods of analysis employed in investigations of thiols and their reactivity toward a range of small biomolecules. A selected number of studies are detailed to highlight the advantages brought about by the MS technologies along with the caveats associated with these analyses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Nelmi O Devarie
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Baez
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Reisz
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. Electronic address: cfurdui@wakehealth.edu.
authors.forename: Cristina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Furdui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055162:Biocatalysis; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D015335:Molecular Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D055550:Protein Stability; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D015335:Molecular Probes; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011506:Proteins; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D003545:Cysteine
keywords: Cysteine; Kinetics; Mass spectrometry; Modifications; Peptides; Proteins; Thiol