An analytical platform for mass spectrometry-based identification and chemical analysis of RNA in ribonucleoprotein complexes.

ABSTRACT: We describe here a mass spectrometry (MS)-based analytical platform of RNA, which combines direct nano-flow reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) on a spray tip column and a high-resolution LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Operating RPLC under a very low flow rate with volatile solvents and MS in the negative mode, we could estimate highly accurate mass values sufficient to predict the nucleotide composition of a approximately 21-nucleotide small interfering RNA, detect post-transcriptional modifications in yeast tRNA, and perform collision-induced dissociation/tandem MS-based structural analysis of nucleolytic fragments of RNA at a sub-femtomole level. Importantly, the method allowed the identification and chemical analysis of small RNAs in ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, such as th

SUBMITTER: Taoka M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2790879 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature