| Abstract
| - A MALDI QqTOF mass spectrometer has been used toidentify proteins separated by one-dimensional or two-dimensional gel electrophoresis at the femtomole level.The high mass resolution and the high mass accuracy ofthis instrument in both MS and MS/MS modes allowidentification of a protein either by peptide mass fingerprinting of the protein digest or from tandem mass spectraacquired by collision-induced dissociation of individualpeptide precursors. A peptide mass map of the digest andtandem mass spectra of multiple peptide precursor ionscan be acquired from the same sample in the course of asingle experiment. Database searching and acquisition ofMS and MS/MS spectra can be combined in an interactivefashion, increasing the information value of the analyticaldata. The approach has demonstrated its usefulness inthe comprehensive characterization of protein in-gel digests, in the dissection of complex protein mixtures, andin sequencing of a low molecular weight integral membrane protein. Proteins can be identified in all types ofsequence databases, including an EST database. Thus,MALDI QqTOF mass spectrometry promises to haveremarkable potential for advancing proteomic research.
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