MS-TAFI: A Tool for the Analysis of Fragment Ions Generated from Intact Proteins

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectra of intact proteins can be difficult to interpret owing to the variety of fragment ion types and abundances. This information is crucial for maximizing the information derived from top-down mass spectrometry of proteins and protein complexes. MS-TAFI (Mass Spectrometry Tool for the Analysis of Fragment Ions) is a free Python-based program which offers a streamlined approach to the data analysis and visualization of deconvoluted MS/MS data of intact proteins. The application also contains tools for native mass spectrometry experiments with the ability to search for fragment ions that retain ligands (holo ions) as well as visualize the location of charge sites obtained from 193 nm ultraviolet photodissociation data. The source code and complete application for MS-TAFI is available for download at https://github.com/kylejuetten.