Question

Which of the following is incorrect regarding Mass Spectrometry Protein Identification?

(a) The proteolysis doesn’t generate a pattern according to molecular weight

(b) Proteins can be identified and characterized using MS

(c) The proteins from a two dimensional gel system are first digested in situ with a protease

(d) Protein spots of interest are excised from the two-dimensional gel

The question was asked by my college professor while I was bunking the class.

The doubt is from Technology of Protein Expression Analysis topic in division Functional Genomics & Proteomics of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

Correct answer is (a) The proteolysis doesn’t generate a pattern according to molecular weight

Easy explanation: The proteolysis generates a unique pattern of peptide fragments of various MWs, which is termed a peptide fingerprint. The fragments can be analyzed with MS, a high-resolution technique for determining molecular masses. Currently, electro-spray ionization MS and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) MS are commonly used.