Precise Readout of MEK1 Proteoforms upon MAPK Pathway Modulation by Individual Ion Mass Spectrometry

Anal Chem. 2024 Mar 19;96(11):4455-4462. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04758. Epub 2024 Mar 8.

Abstract

The functions of proteins bearing multiple post-translational modifications (PTMs) are modulated by their modification patterns, yet precise characterization of them is difficult. MEK1 (also known as MAP2K1) is one such example that acts as a gatekeeper of the mitogen-activating protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and propagates signals via phosphorylation by upstream kinases. In principle, top-down mass spectrometry can precisely characterize whole MEK1 proteoforms, but fragmentation methods that would enable the site-specific characterization of labile modifications on 43 kDa protein ions result in overly dense tandem mass spectra. By using the charge-detection method called individual ion mass spectrometry, we demonstrate how complex mixtures of phosphoproteoforms and their fragment ions can be reproducibly handled to provide a "bird's eye" view of signaling activity through mapping proteoform landscapes in a pathway. Using this approach, the overall stoichiometry and distribution of 0-4 phosphorylations on MEK1 was determined in a cellular model of drug-resistant metastatic melanoma. This approach can be generalized to other multiply modified proteoforms, for which PTM combinations are key to their function and drug action.

MeSH terms

  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Ions
  • Mitogens*
  • Protein Kinases*
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods

Substances

  • Mitogens
  • Protein Kinases
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Ions