Structural characterization of protonated phosphorylated serine, threonine, and tyrosine was performed using mid-infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The ions were generated and analyzed by an external electrospray source coupled to a Paul ion-trap type mass spectrometer. Their fragmentation was induced by the resonant absorption of multiple photons from a tunable free electron laser (FEL) beam. IRMPD spectra were recorded in the 900-1850 cm(-1) energy range and compared to the corresponding computed IR spectra. On the basis of the frequency and intensity of two independent bands in the 900-1400 cm(-1) energy range, it is possible to identify the phosphorylated residue. IRMPD spectra for a 12-residue fragment of stathmin in its phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated forms were also recorded in the 800-1400 cm(-1) energy range. The lack of spectral congestion in the 900-1300 cm(-1) region makes their distinction facile. Our results show that IRMPD spectroscopy may became a valuable tool for structural characterization of small phosphorylated peptides.

Time-resolved photoacoustic calorimetry (TR-PAC) and quantum chemistry calculations were used to investigate the energetics of sulfur-hydrogen bonds in thiophenol and four para-substituted thiophenols, 4-XC 6 H 4 SH (X ) CH 3 , OCH 3 , Cl, and CF 3 ). The result obtained for the PhS-H gas-phase bond dissociation enthalpy, derived from the PAC experimental results in solution, is 349.4 ( 4.5 kJ mol -1 . This value is significantly higher than recent literature values but agrees with a value suggested some 20 years ago in a widely used review. The PAC result also concurs with the value computed at a high theory level, G3(MP2), 346.8 kJ mol -1 . The data obtained for the substituted thiophenols support the idea that substituent effects are less pronounced on the S-H bond dissociation enthalpy than on the O-H bond dissociation enthalpy of the corresponding phenols. † Part of the special issue "Jack Beauchamp Festschrift".

The structure of the sodiated peptide GGGGGGGG-Na ϩ or G 8 -Na ϩ was investigated by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and a combination of theoretical methods. IRMPD was carried out in both the fingerprint and N-H/O-H stretching regions. Modeling used the polarizable force field AMOEBA in conjunction with the replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) method, allowing an efficient exploration of the potential energy surface. Geometries and energetics were further refined at B3LYP-D and MP2 quantum chemical levels. The IRMPD spectra indicate that there is no free C-terminus OH and that several N-Hs are free of hydrogen bonding, while several others are bound, however not very strongly. The structure must then be either of the charge solvation (CS) type with a hydrogen-bound acidic OH, or a salt bridge (SB). Extensive REMD searches generated several low-energy structures of both types. The most stable structures of each type are computed to be very close in energy. The computed energy barrier separating these structures is small enough that G 8 -Na ϩ is likely fluxional with easy proton transfer between the two peptide termini. There is, however, good agreement between experiment and computations in the entire spectral range for the CS isomer only, which thus appears to be the most likely structure of G 8 -Na ϩ at room temperature. (J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 2010, 21, 728 -738) © 2010 American Society for Mass Spectrometry T he biological importance of sodium in performing or facilitating essential biological processes, such as neurotransmission, osmotic balance, and cellular metabolism is well documented [1][2][3]. Mass spectrometric methods have been used extensively to provide insight into peptide sequences [4,5] starting from sodium-cationized species, however with considerable debate as to the structure of the parent species and the fragmentation mechanisms [6 -8]. In this context, sodiated oligoglycines have been used in the last decade as a valuable testing ground for new experimental developments designed to obtain refined energetic and/or structural data. These include ion mobility measurements for global shape information [9,10], H/D exchange extent and kinetics for isomeric/ conformational content [11], the kinetic [12, 13] and the threshold collision induced decomposition [14] methods for thermochemical measurements, as well as infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy [15] for identification of functional groups and their interactions. All these studies have been complemented by extensive molecular modeling as required for translating experimental data into properties of specific molecular structures.Oligoglycines owe their value as model peptides to their relative simplicity. While the number of residues is an obvious source of conformational complexity, the absence of side chains limits the number of factors shaping their structures and energies. On the one hand, the main components of sodium-molecule interactions are electrostatic and polarization, favoring m...

Gas-phase infrared spectra of deprotonated phosphorylated amino acids ([pAA-H](-))-phosphoserine ([pSer-H](-)), phosphothreonine ([pThr-H](-)), and phosphotyrosine ([pTyr-H](-))-and of the dihydrogen phosphate anion H(2)PO(4)(-) have been recorded in the mid-IR region (650-2000 cm(-1)) under tandem mass spectrometry conditions. The experimental setup involved a Paul ion trap equipped with an electrospray ionization source coupled with a tunable free electron laser (FEL). Spectral assignment of the observed IRMPD bands and identification of the vibrational signatures of the phosphorylation have been performed by comparison with DFT calculations. The H(2)PO(4)(-) anion has been used as a simple model of a free deprotonated phosphate group, helping the identification of the IR signatures of phosphorylation. Our results show that deprotonation occurs on the phosphate group for the three amino acids. A comparison between the deprotonated and protonated phosphorylated amino acids is reported for the most important vibrational features.

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Monte Carlo statistical mechanics simulations, density-functional theory calculations, time-resolved photoacoustic calorimetry, and isoperibol reaction-solution calorimetry experiments were carried out to investigate the solvation enthalpies and solvent effects on the energetics of the phenol O-H bond in benzene and acetonitrile. A good agreement between theoretical and experimental results is obtained for the solvation enthalpies of phenol in benzene and acetonitrile. The theoretical calculations also indicate that the differences between the solvation enthalpies of phenol (PhOH) and phenoxy radical (PhO • ) in both benzene and acetonitrile are significantly smaller than previous estimations based on the ECW model. The results for the solvation enthalpies are used to obtain the O-H bond dissociation enthalpies in benzene and acetonitrile. For benzene and acetonitrile, the theoretical results of 89.4 ( 1.2 and 90.5 ( 1.7 kcal mol . A detailed analysis of the solvent contributions to the differential solvation enthalpy is made in terms of the hydrogen bonds and the solute-solvent interactions. Both PhOH and PhO• induce a significant, although equivalent, solvent reorganization enthalpy. Finally, the convergence of the solute-solvent interaction is analyzed as a function of the distance to the solute and illustrates the advantages and limitations of local models such as microsolvation and hydrogen-bond-only models.

The protonated, phosphorylated dipeptide [GpY+H](+) is characterized by mid-infrared multiple-photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations. The ions are generated in an external electrospray source and analyzed in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer, and their fragmentation is induced by resonant absorption of multiple photons emitted by a tunable free-electron laser. The IRMPD spectra are recorded in the 900-1730 cm(-1) range and compared to the absorption spectra computed for the lowest energy structures. A detailed calibration of computational levels, including B3LYP-D and coupled cluster, is carried out to obtain reliable relative energies of the low-energy conformers. It turns out that a single structure can be invoked to assign the IRMPD spectrum. Protonation at the N terminus leads to the formation of a strong ionic hydrogen bond with the phosphate P=O group in all low-energy structures. This leads to a P=O stretching frequency for [GpY+H](+) that is closer to that of [pS+H](+) than to that of [pY+H](+) and thus demonstrates the sensitivity of this mode to the phosphate environment. The COP phosphate ester stretching mode is confirmed to be an intrinsic diagnostic for identification of which type of amino acid is phosphorylated.

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