Mass spectrometric analysis of prenyl phosphates and their glycosylated forms

Three different mass spectrometric method suitable for the analysis of polyprenyl and dolichyl phosphates and their glycosylated forms are described. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB MS) of glycosyl monophosphopolyprenols produces negative ions characteristic of the intact molecule. Tandem mass spectrometry of (M-H)- anions allows the determination of masses of both glycosyl and lipid moieties. Thus, for example, FAB-MS/MS of a mixture of native glycosyl monophosphopolyprenols isolated from ethambutol-treated Mycobacterium smegmatis enabled us to detect two novel pentosyl monophosphopolyprenols. Two other methods are proposed for the analysis of prenyl phosphates, as these compounds do not produce fragments in FAB-MS/MS at low collisional energy. By Desorption Electron Impact ionization (DEI) an intense (M-H3PO4)+ ion as well as fragments corresponding to the successive loss of isoprene residues (68 Da) can be observed. Alternatively, Desorption Chemical Ionization yields ions corresponding to the loss of 66, 78 and 98 Da (i.e. of a part or the entire phosphate moiety) of a prenyl phosphate molecule. Tandem mass spectrometry of the (M-H-98)- ion gives a series of intense fragments differing by 68 mass units over the whole mass range.