Alpha-1-Antitrypsin (A1AT) Proteotyping by LC-MS/MS

Abstract

The diagnosis of alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency is established by quantitation of protein concentration in serum (immunoassay) followed by determination of specific allelic variants by phenotyping (isoelectric focusing (IEF) gel electrophoresis) and/or allele-specific genotyping. Various phenotyping and genotyping methodologies are available, and each has their own advantages and disadvantages. As an alternative, mass spectrometry is emerging as a powerful tool in the identification and quantitation of proteins and peptides. The method described here, referred to as proteotyping, is a proteomic method using trypsin digestion and tandem mass spectrometry that detects the most common deficiency alleles, S and Z, associated with A1AT deficiency.

This qualitative mass spectrometry method is based on the principle that the S and Z mutations lead to amino acid changes which result in a change in the mass of the A1AT protein. When the A1AT protein is proteolytically digested, multiple peptides are generated, two of which include the sites of the S and Z mutations, respectively. Peptides generated from wild-type A1AT (M alleles) differ in sequence and mass from peptides generated from the S and Z alleles at these two specific locations. The mass difference allows for differentiation of S and Z peptides, representing the deficiency alleles, from non-S and non-Z peptides, representing the wild-type alleles (M). Interpretation of the peptide patterns in conjunction with A1AT quantitation by immunoassay allows for an accurate assessment for the presence of deficiency alleles in the majority of patients.