Peptide sequencing using ContinuityTM miniature mass spectrometer

Peptide identification and sequencing strategies by mass spectrometry have been very well-developed during the last  25 years after the soft ionization techniques have been introduced. When sequencing peptides with tandem mass spectrometry (MSⁿ), peptides are cleaved at various locations off their backbones to generate fragment ions of  different masses based on the ir amino acid sequences. The most common product ions are  the b-, y-, and a-ions  generated from the cleavage of amide bond (CO - NH) and the subsequent loss of CO from the b-ions to form a-ions . The resulting MSⁿ spectra can be matched with a database or computed with an algorithm to get the original sequence of  known or unknown peptides.

Here we present an example of peptide sequencing with BaySpec’s highly-portable (22 kg) and  battery  operated Continuity^TM-series portable mass spectrometer. It features a linear ion trap with collisionally induced dissociation (CID) for MSⁿ analysis, similar to the Portability^TM series mass spectrometers. In addition, Continuity^TM is equipped with a continuous atmospheric pressure sampling inlet with differential pumping, allowing the detection of a larger mass range (110 – 950 amu). BaySpec’s Continuity^TM mass spectrometer is ideal for on-site peptide sequencing.