• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.116-119
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• 2015

Globotriaosylsphingosine (lyso-Gb3) is considered as one of the biological marker for Fabry disease. To date, a reliable biomarker that reflects disease severity and progression has not been discovered to guide the management of Fabry disease. A new method included a simple protein precipitation with acetonitrile in 100 μL of plasma following analyte separation on an Phenomenex Kintex- C18 column using a gradient elution (0.1% formic acid in 5-90% acetonitrile). Total run time was within 12 min including sample preparation and MS/MS analysis. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 1 ng/mL and 2 ng/mL, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 2.0-200.0 ng/mL (r² = 0.9999). Inter-day accuracy and precision at 7 level were 93.4-100.7% with RSD of 0.55-5.97%. Absolute recovery was 97.6-98.6%. The method was applied to human and mice plasma, proved the suitability for quantification of lyso-Gb3 for screening, diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of Fabry disease patients.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.46-50
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• 2018

The effects of temperature and acetonitrile (ACN) concentration on microwave-assisted weak-acid hydrolysis of proteins were investigated. Myoglobin was hydrolyzed for 1 h using 2% formic acid and a microwave with different concentrations of ACN (0, 5, and 10%) at various temperatures (50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and $100^{\circ}C$). The numbers of peptides identified with each concentration of ACN were the same for each temperature. The greatest number of peptides (18 total) was obtained with hydrolysis at $100^{\circ}C$, and 6 of these were a result of additional removal of aspartic acid at the C-terminus. Hydrolysis at $80^{\circ}C$ resulted in 13 peptides, of which only 1 was generated by the additional removal of aspartic acid, and 12 were observed with hydrolysis at $100^{\circ}C$. Our results demonstrate that microwave-assisted weak-acid hydrolysis of proteins can be performed successfully at $80^{\circ}C$, which could be beneficial for limiting side reactions and generating larger peptide sequences.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.9-12
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• 2010

Trimethylboroxine (TMB) is a six-membered ring compound containing Lewis acidic boron and Lewis basic oxygen atoms that can bind halide anion and alkali metal cation, respectively. We employed Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance spectroscopy to study the gas-phase binding of $LiBrLi^+$ and $F^-(KF)_2$ to TMB. TMB forms association complexes with both $LiBrLi^+$ and $F^-(KF)_2$ at room temperature, providing direct evidence for the ditopic binding. Interestingly, the $TMB{\cdot}F^-(KF)_2$ anion complex is formed 33 times faster than the $TMB{\cdot}Li^+BrLi$ cation complex. To gain insight into the ditopic binding of an ion pair, we examined the structures and energetics of $TMB{\cdot}Li^+$, $TMB{\cdot}F^-$, $TMB{\cdot}LiF$ (the contact ion pair), and $Li^+{\cdot}TMB{\cdot}F^-$ (the separated ion pair) using Hartree-Fock and density functional theory. Theory suggests that $F^-$ binds more strongly to TMB than $Li^+$ and the contact ion-pair binding ($TMB{\cdot}LiF$) is more stable than the separated ion-pair binding ($Li^+{\cdot}TMB{\cdot}F^-$).

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.12-15
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• 2011

The Korean government has regulated emission of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in waste water of manufacturing facilities producing chlorinated compounds since 2009. As this regulation is expected to be reinforced in 2013 to 50 pg I-TEQ/L, a large sample volume is required for the analysis of trace amounts of PCDD/Fs in waste water. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) is used to extract PCDD/Fs from aqueous samples; however, its low efficiency makes it inadequate for analyzing large sample volumes. Herein, we present a disk-type solid-phase extraction (SPE) method for the analysis of dioxin at a part per quadrillion level in waste water. This SPE system contains airtight glass covers with a decompression pump, which enables continuous semi-automated extraction. Small (0.5 L) and large (7 L) samples were extracted using LLE and SPE methods, respectively. The method detection limits (MDLs) were 0.001.0.25 and 0.015.4.1 pg I-TEQ/L for the SPE and LLE methods, respectively. The concentrations of detected congeners with both methods were similar. However, the concentrations of several congeners that were not detected with the LLE method were quantified using the SPE method.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.79-83
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• 2014

Three different dutasteride extraction methods were compared and a method based on liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using methyl tert-butyl ether and methylene chloride was proved to be more effective than others for the extraction of dutasteride and finasteride, the internal standard (IS), from rat plasma. Additionally, a method composed of the LLE extraction, liquid chromatography, and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) to target dutasteride and IS was validated by assessing specificity, linearity ($r^2$ = 0.9993, 5 - 400 ng/mL), sensitivity (the limit of detection: 4.03 ng/mL; the limit of quantitation: 12.10 ng/mL), accuracy (intra-day: 89.4 - 105.9%; inter-day: 84.9 - 100.9%), precision (intra-day: 0.8 - 6.9%; inter-day: 2.9 - 15.9%), and recovery (84.7 - 107.8%). Since the validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of dutasteride, it can be useful for the pharmacokinetic evaluation of newly developed dutasteride formulations.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.97-109
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• 2013

This study introduces an analysis of the quantitative characteristics of topography and topographical changes based on precise 3D topography through 6 times surveys from December 2008 to January 2010 using Terrestrial LIDAR on the Malipo beach. The Malipo sand beach is mostly located between 0m to 1.5m MSL. The area of the beach above 2.25m, the Mean High Water, is very small. It have characteristics of topographical change of erosion and deposition along the entire coast line which more apparently appear in the northern beach than the southern part of the beach. Erosion prevails from spring to autumn, while during winter both erosion and deposition largely occur. Volumes from first and last survey were almost equal.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.179-185
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• 2021

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) combined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to obtain structural information on rat islet amyloid polypeptide (rIAPP) monomers (M) and dimers (D) observed in the multiply charged state in the MS spectrum. MS/MS analysis indicated that the rIAPP monomers adopt distinct structures depending on the molecular ion charge state. Peptide bond dissociation between L₂₇ and P₂₈ was observed in the MS/MS spectra of rIAPP monomers, regardless of the monomer molecular ion charge state. MS/MS analysis of the dimers indicated that D⁵⁺ comprised M²⁺ and M³⁺ subunits, and that the peptide bond dissociation process between the L₂₇ and P₂₈ residues of the monomer subunit was also maintained. The observation of (M+ b₂₇)⁴⁺ and (M+ y₁₀)³⁺ fragment ions were deduced to originate from the two different D⁵⁺ complex geometries, the N-terminal and C-terminal interaction geometries, respectively. The fragmentation pattern of the [M_rIAPP + M_hIAPP]⁵⁺ MS/MS spectrum showed that the interaction occurred between the two N-terminal regions of M_rIAPP and M_hIAPP in the heterogeneous dimer (hetero-dimer) D⁵⁺ structure.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.200-205
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• 2021

Polynemoraline C, a pyridocoumarin alkaloid, exhibits anticholinergic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities. A sensitive analytical method of polynemoraline C in mouse plasma was developed and validated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Polynemoraline C and ¹³C-caffeine (internal standard) in mouse plasma were extracted using a liquid-liquid extraction method coupled with ethyl acetate. This extraction method resulted in high and reproducible extraction recovery in the range of 73.49%-77.31% with no interfering peaks around the peak retention time of polynemoraline C and ¹³C-caffeine. The standard calibration curves for polynemoraline C were linear over the range of 0.5-200 ng/mL with r² > 0.985. The accuracy, precision, and the stability of the data were within acceptable limits on the FDA guideline. After intravenous and oral administration of polynemoraline C at doses of 5 and 30 mg/kg, respectively, the present method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of polynemoraline C. Polynemoraline C in mouse plasma showed a multi-exponential elimination pattern with a high volume of distribution values. This compound's absolute oral bioavailability was found to be 17.0%. Polynemoraline C's newly developed LC-MS/MS method can be used for further studies on the efficacy, toxicity, and biopharmaceutics of polynemoraline C, as well as its pharmacokinetic studies.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.192-199
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• 2021

Alpine glaciers harbor a large quantity of bio-labile dissolved organic matter (DOM), which plays a pivotal role in global carbon cycling as glacial-fed streams are headwaters of numerous large rivers. To understand the complexity, origin, and fate of DOM in glaciers and downstream-linked streams and lakes, we elucidated the molecular composition of DOM in two different Tibetan Plateau glaciers, eight glacial-fed streams and five lakes, using an ultrahigh-resolution 15 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. The compositional changes of the DOM samples revealed that glacier DOM mostly exhibited sulfur-containing organic compounds (CHOS species). We also found that aliphatic formulae contributed more than 50% of the total abundance of assigned molecules in glacier samples, and those compounds were significantly related to CHOS species. The CHO proportions of glacial-fed streams and lakes samples increased with increasing distance from glacial terminals. The relative contribution of terrestrial-derived organics (i.e., lignins and tannins) declined while microbial-originated organics (aliphatics) increased with increasing elevation. This suggested the gradual input of allochthonous materials from non-glacial environment and the degradation of microbe-derived compounds along lower elevations. Alpine glaciers are retreating as a result of climate change and they nourished numerous streams, rivers, and downstream-linked lakes. Therefore, the interpretations of the detailed molecular changes in glacier ice, glacial-fed streams, and alpine lakes on the Tibetan Plateau could provide broad insights for understanding the biogeochemical cycling of glacial DOM and assessing how the nature of DOM impacts fluvial ecosystems.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.66-75
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• 2021

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13 are cytokines secreted by immune cells. Cytokines induce the proliferation of macrophages or promote the differentiation of secretory cells. The initiation and progression of allergic inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, are dependent on cytokines acting through related receptor complexes. IL-4 and IL-13 are N-glycoproteins. Glycan structures in glycoproteins play important roles in protein folding, protein stability, enzymatic function, inflammation, and cancer development. Therefore, the glycan structure of IL-4 and IL-13 needs to be elucidated in detail for the development of effective therapies. We report the first attempt to characterize the site-specific N-glycosylation of recombinant IL-4 and IL-13 via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The tandem mass spectra of intact N-glycopeptides were identified using the Integrated GlycoProteome Analyzer (I-GPA) platform, which can automatically and rapidly analyze multiple N-glycopeptides, including their glycan composition and amino acid sequences. The recombinant IL-4 and IL-13 were identified with amino acid sequence coverages of 84% and 96%, respectively. For IL-4, 52 glycoforms on one N-glycosylation site were identified and quantified. In IL-13, 232 N-glycopeptides from three N-glycosylation sites were characterized, with the site Asn52 being the most extensively glycosylated (~80%). The complex glycans were the most abundant glycan on IL-4 and IL-13 (~96% and 91%, respectively), and the biantennary glycans were the most abundant in both recombinant IL-4 and IL-13 proteins.