Native Liquid MALDI (NALIM) Mass Spectrometry Analysis of RNA-Binding Protein Complexes

Native mass spectrometry (nMS) techniques are designed to preserve non-covalent biomolecular complexes for direct observation in an MS instrument. In the past few years, nMS based on NALIM (NAtive LIquid MALDI) has been developed to complement established ESI-based nMS approaches, with the aim to tackle large or poorly soluble protein complexes. It affords a straightforward reading of spectra to monitor oligomer distributions, with applications ranging from the determination of protomers stoichiometry to the presence of peptide or oligonucleotide ligands in complexes. It is well suited to the analysis of helicases and other protein complexes involved in nucleic acid transactions.