Nonresonant femtosecond laser vaporization of aqueous protein preserves folded structure.

Brady, John J; Judge, Elizabeth J; Levis, Robert J · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 2011

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Femtosecond laser vaporization-based mass spectrometry can be used to measure protein conformation in vitro at atmospheric pressure. Cytochrome c and lysozyme are vaporized from the condensed phase into the gas phase intact when exposed to an intense (10(13) W/cm(2)), nonresonant (800 nm), ultrafast (75 fs) laser pulse. Electrospray postionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry reveals that the vaporized protein maintains the solution-phase conformation through measurement of the charge-state distribution and the collision-induced dissociation channels.

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