Studies of non-covalent protein complexes by MALDI methods

Several specific non-covalent protein complexes were successfully observed by matrix assisted desorption ionization mass spectrometry(MALDI MS). The methods described in this paper include the matrixes use of sinapinic acid(SA) and 6-aza-2-thiothymine (ATT) in neutral pH solution, as well as the improvement of two-layer sample preparation method to achieve a high sensitivity detection of stable non-covalent complexes, Myoglobin-heme complex was found simultaneously with the sinapinic acid matrix in the various pH solution(pH=2 or pH=5), The RNase S complex showed a striking intensity at the first shot, which was decreased with more laser shots. Most importantly, the observation of specific non-covalent complex in the brome mosaic virus(BMV) coat proteins would open up a new possibility to investigate the assembly and disassembly of viral capsids.