Characterization of mycolic acids from the pathogen Rhodococcus equi by tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization.

ABSTRACT: We describe a simple tandem mass spectrometric approach toward structural characterization of mycolic acids, the long-chain α-alkyl-β-hydroxy fatty acids unique to mycobacteria and related taxa. On collisionally activated dissociation in a linear ion trap or tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer, the [M-H](-) ions of mycolic acid generated by electrospray ionization undergo dissociation to eliminate the meroaldehyde residue, leading to formation of carboxylate anions containing α-alkyl chains. The structural information from these fragment ions affords structural assignment of the mycolic acids, including the lengths of the meromycolate chain and the α-branch. This study revealed that the mycolic acids isolated from pathogenic Rhodococcus equi 103 contained a series of homologous ions having

SUBMITTER: Hsu FF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3006067 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature