Gas-Phase Ion Chemistry of Peptide Radical Ions and Applications in Protein Characterization

在化学系化学测量和成像(CMI)项目的支持下，普渡大学的夏宇教授和她的团队扩展了质谱学的能力，以研究来自生物分子的自由基离子，与偶数电子离子相比，生物分子的自由基离子被大大低估了。将开发新的方法和仪器来在气相中形成不同类型的肽自由基离子，并提取它们的化学性质信息，包括结构和本征反应活性。将探索基于肽自由基离子化学的蛋白质结构表征新的分析方法。夏教授建议研究自由基和离子是如何相互作用的。所获得的知识将为了解氧化应激导致的蛋白质自由基中间体的命运提供洞察，氧化应激已被证明与包括衰老和神经退化在内的各种生物过程有关。拟议的研究和教育活动还将为接触科学仪器、反应机制和生物分析的研究生和本科生建立肥沃的培训基础。扩大女学生和来自代表性不足群体的学生的参与将是拟议教育部分的重点之一。

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Yu Xia and her group at Purdue University expand the capability of mass spectrometry to study radical ions derived from biomolecules, which are significantly under-explored as compared to even electron ions. New methods and instrumentation will be developed to form diverse types of peptide radical ions in gas-phase and extract their chemical property information including structures and intrinsic reactivity. New analytical approaches based on peptide radical ion chemistry will be explored for protein structural characterization. Professor Xia proposes to study how radicals and ions interact with each other. The gained knowledge will provide insight on the fate of protein radical intermediates resulted from oxidative stress, which has been shown to be related to various biological processes, including aging and neurodegeneration. The proposed research and education activities will also establish fertile training ground for both graduate and undergraduate students with exposure to scientific instrumentation, reaction mechanisms, and bio-analysis. Broadening participation of female students and students from underrepresented groups will be one of the focuses of the proposed educational component.