Ion mobility mass spectrometer with electrospray ionisation (ESI-IMS-MS) for protein analysis

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The newly established plant metabolic biochemistry lab at the University of Cologne uses a combination of mass spectrometry and biochemical approaches to study plant metabolic processes in the context of environmental interactions with a focus on protein and proteome analyses. The Department of Plant Metabolic Biochemistry is part of the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) and will contribute proteomic approaches to various projects in cooperation with other groups of the cluster. The proposed ion mobility mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization (ESI-IMS-MS) is required for new research projects and to continue running projects at the new location. Signaling processes in the interaction of plants with their biotic and abiotic environment are the focus of research interest. In order to reliably detect and quantify the dynamics of protein abundances, the interaction of proteins with other proteins or ligands, as well as post-translational modifications at individual proteins, a highly sensitive mass spectrometer with a high resolution is required. In addition to separation by hydrophobicity (HPLC), separation by mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio (quadrupole) and mass analysis (ion trap/flight tube), IMS mass spectrometry systems have an additional module that analyses ion mobility and uses it as a further separation criterion. This fourth dimension of separation significantly increases the number of peptides analyzed and thus achieves a dramatic increase in both the number of proteins identified and the accuracy of quantification. The IMS module is furthermore required to enable the separation of molecules of identical mass based on their three-dimensional structure. The lead applicant's working group was previously based in the Department of Plant Proteomics at Leibniz Universität Hannover. Three mass spectrometers for proteome analysis were available in the department allowing the group members to gain hands-on experience and develop a broad expertise for plant proteomics.