E-Book Overview
Leading practitioners authoritatively describe the newest and most effective spectrometric techniques for the analysis of proteins and peptides. The areas covered range from the elucidation of primary and secondary protein structure and the rapid identification of proteins using database techniques to methods for sequencing, as well as methods for the quantitative determination of peptides. Other chapters provide detailed information on the analysis of glycoproteins and glycopeptides and on the use of mass spectrometry to probe the interactions of proteins, both covalent and noncovalent.
E-Book Content
1 Mass Spectrometry in the Analysis of Peptides and Proteins, Past and Present Peter Roepstorff When the editor, John Chapman, asked me to write the introductory chapter to this volume and told me that it would be dedicated to the late Michael “Mickey” Barber, I felt very honored and also humbled because I have always considered Mickey to be one of the most outstanding pioneers in the field of mass spectrometry (MS) of protems. Most younger scientists associate Mickey’s name with the invention of ionization of nonvolatile compounds by fast-atom bombardment (FAB) m 1981 (I). It is also true that this invention had a major impact on the practical possibilities for mass spectrometric analysis of peptides and proteins. However, only a few of the present generation of scientists involved m MS of peptldes and proteins know that MS of peptides was already an active field 30 years ago and also that Mickey’s career in many ways reflects the development m the field through all these years. In the 196Os,a number of groups had realized and actively investigated the potential of MS for peptlde analysis. The only ionization method avallable was electron impact (EI), which required volatile denvatlves. This necessitated extensive derivatization of the peptides prior to mass spectrometric an