Liu Kai, Huang Yuanyu, Huang Thomas, Yang Pengyuan, Kong Jilie, Shen Huali, Zhang Quanqing
Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, Proteomics Core, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Molecules. 2025 Aug 2;30(15):3245. doi: 10.3390/molecules30153245.
Over the past decade, the number and diversity of identified protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) have grown significantly. However, most PTMs occur at relatively low abundance, making selective enrichment of modified peptides essential. To address this, we developed a thermodynamic model describing the free beads enrichment in suspension enrichment process and derived a theoretical relationship between material dosage and analyte recovery. The model predicts a non-linear trend, with enrichment efficiency increasing up to an optimal dosage and declining thereafter-a pattern confirmed by experimental data. We validated the model using centrifugation-based enrichment for glycosylated peptides and magnetic-based enrichment for phosphorylated peptides. In both cases, the results aligned with theoretical predictions. Additionally, the optimal dosage varied among peptides with the same modification type, highlighting the importance of tailoring enrichment strategies. This study provides a solid theoretical and experimental basis for optimizing PTMs enrichment and advancing more sensitive, accurate, and efficient mass spectrometry-based proteomic workflows.
在过去十年中,已鉴定的蛋白质翻译后修饰(PTM)的数量和种类显著增加。然而,大多数PTM的丰度相对较低,因此对修饰肽段进行选择性富集至关重要。为了解决这一问题,我们开发了一个热力学模型,描述了悬浮富集过程中游离磁珠的富集情况,并推导了材料用量与分析物回收率之间的理论关系。该模型预测了一种非线性趋势,即富集效率在达到最佳用量之前会增加,之后则会下降——这一模式得到了实验数据的证实。我们使用基于离心的糖基化肽段富集方法以及基于磁性的磷酸化肽段富集方法对该模型进行了验证。在这两种情况下,结果均与理论预测相符。此外,相同修饰类型的肽段之间的最佳用量也有所不同,这突出了定制富集策略的重要性。本研究为优化PTM富集以及推进更灵敏、准确和高效的基于质谱的蛋白质组学工作流程提供了坚实的理论和实验基础。