Dr. Rita Grandori ist Associate Professor und Gruppenleiterin am Fachbereich Biotechnologie und Biowissenschaften an der Universität Milano-Bicocca.
Abstract:
Mass spectrometry (MS) has developed into a central tool of biochemistry and structural biology. The so-called “native” MS, based on nano-electrospray-ionization (nano-ESI), has paved the way to protein folding and binding studies by MS techniques. Here, nano-ESI-MS and ion mobility (IM) experiments are performed to investigate protein conformational transitions and intermolecular interactions, with a special focus on intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). The second part of the talk will focus on the mechanisms governing protein ionization under ESI conditions and the origin of conformational effects. Experimental and theoretical results are merged, developing a unified model for the ionization mechanism of folded and unfolded proteins. The results suggest that “native” MS can provide valuable structural information on normally folded, as well as disordered structures.