Recommend the best approaches for fragmenting proteins in native form
Increasingly, researchers are combining native mass spectrometry with top-down fragmentation in an attempt to simultaneously gain protein sequence information and insight into higher-order structure. Different variants of this type of experiment are attempted, based on whether backbone fragmentation is performed, and whether tertiary and quaternary protein structure are maintained during the experiment.
It is often challenging and time-consuming to develop protocols as well as to interpret the results of these studies. The Consortium has started this Sub-Committee to dive into these challenges and improve researchers’ abilities to probe the detailed structure of proteins. The study is being coordinated by Frederik Lermyte of TU Darmstadt.
The major goals of this Initiative are:
- Provide guidance for top-down methods using native ionization, for both experienced and novice users
- Provide a uniform, widely-endorsed terminology to report and discuss results from native top-down studies
- Elucidate the ways in which higher-order structure affects the top-down fragmentation pattern of protein ions
