Advancing top-down analysis of the human proteome using a benchtop quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer

Abstract

Over the past decade, developments in high resolution mass spectrometry have enabled the high throughput analysis of intact proteins from complex proteomes, leading to the identification of thousands of proteoforms. Traditionally, top-down proteomics experiments relied on hybrid ion trap – Fourier transform mass spectrometers combined with data-dependent acquisition strategies. Here, we used a benchtop quadrupole – Orbitrap instrument coupled with unique data acquisition software to identify and characterize nearly 2,000 proteoforms at 1% false discovery rate from human fibroblasts.