One of the first steps in characterizing
a protein is to discover its primary sequence. This allows one to decipher
information regarding its function, structure and destination. When novel
previously unsequenced proteins are encountered, elucidation of its sequence
often involves the Edman Degradation reaction. Researchers have considered
using mass spectrometry as a faster alternative. Currently much interpretation
of mass spectra is done by hand (impractical for complex spectra) or by
peptide database searching (unsuccessful for novel proteins). |
We have been working in conjunction with the MIT Biology
Dept. and Whitehead Institute on the possibility of designing an automated
process for de novo peptide sequencing from MALDI-TOF PSD spectra with
no other a priori knowledge save the peptideís molecular weight. In the
past few months, we have been acquiring spectra, trying to understand fragmentation
patterns, and developing a heuristic for sequence inference from spectral
peaks. |
