American Chemical Society, Analytical Chemistry, 12(85), p. 5699-5706, 2013
DOI: 10.1021/ac400198n
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Selective enrichment of phosphopeptides prior to their analysis by mass spectrometry (MS) is vital for identifying protein phosphorylation sites involved in cellular regulation. This study describes modification of porous nylon substrates with TiO2 nanoparticles to create membranes that rapidly enrich phosphopeptides. Membranes with a 22-mm diameter bind 540 nmol of phosphoangiotensin and recover 70% of the phosphopeptides in mixtures with a 15-fold excess of non-phosphorylated proteins. Recovery is 90% for a pure phosphopeptide. Insertion of small membrane disks into HPLC fittings allows rapid enrichment of 5 mL of 1 fmol/μL phosphoprotein digests and concentration into small-volume (10’s of μL) eluates. The combination of membrane enrichment with tandem mass spectrometry reveals seven phosphorylation sites from in vivo phosphorylated tau (p-tau) protein, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.