Proteoform Thursday: Jenny Brodbelt presents “A Beacon of Light: Development of Ultraviolet Photodissociation Mass Spectrometry for Characterization of Intact Proteins”
September 18, 2025 11:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) is a high energy ion activation mode that results in extensive fragmentation of many classes of molecules, often more than obtained from most other MS/MS methods. Ion activation/dissociation can be accomplished using a single 5 ns laser pulse from a UV excimer laser. Characterization of large proteins by top-down mass spectrometry is challenged by low S/N of fragment ions and spectral congestion. Combining UVPD with proton transfer charge reduction (PTCR) and gas-phase fractionation is a strategy that addresses spectral congestion and enhances sequence coverage of large proteins.