Rapid detergent removal from peptide samples with ethyl acetate for mass spectrometry analysis

Detergents are required for the extraction of hydrophobic proteins and for the maintenance of their solubility in solution. However, the presence of detergents in the peptide samples severely suppresses ionization in mass spectrometry (MS) analysis and decreases chromatographic resolution in LC-MS. Thus, detergents must be removed for sensitive detection of peptides by MS. This unit describes a rapid protocol in which ethyl acetate extraction is used to remove octylglucoside from protease digests without loss of peptides. This procedure can also be used to reduce interference by sodium dodecyl sulfate, Nonidet P-40, or Triton X-100 in peptide samples for MS analysis.