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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Covalent Labeling with Diethylpyrocarbonate for Studying Protein Higher-Order Structure by Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 15, 2021
On-line protein digestion and peptide mapping by capillary electrophoresis with post-column labeling for
Mingliang Ye1, Shen Hu, Regine M Schoenherr
1Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Abstract:
A nanoliter enzyme microreactor was developed for on-line capillary electrophoresis (CE) peptide mapping of proteins, allowing picomole quantities of proteins to be digested. The enzyme microreactor was formed by immobilizing trypsin onto a monolithic capillary column, which was prepared by in situ polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate in a capillary. Highly efficient digestion of three protein standards was demonstrated. The detection of peptide fragments in CE was enhanced by post-column derivatization and laser-induced fluorescence detection. The microreactor has a volume of about 30 nL and is coupled with a separation capillary via a fluid joint for on-line digestion. The overall analysis, including digestion and separation, lasted only about 16 min. Column efficiencies > 300 000 plates/m were obtained for most peaks in the electropherogram of an on-line peptide mapping experiment of denatured alpha-lactalbumin under optimal conditions.
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