Novel C β-C γ bond cleavages of tryptophan-containing peptide radical cations

In this study, we observed unprecedented cleavages of the C _β-C _γ bonds of tryptophan residue side chains in a series of hydrogen-deficient tryptophan-containing peptide radical cations (M ^•+) during low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID). We used CID experiments and theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the mechanism of this bond cleavage, which forms [M - 116] ⁺ ions. The formation of an α-carbon radical intermediate at the tryptophan residue for the subsequent C _β-C _γ bond cleavage is analogous to that occurring at leucine residues, producing the same product ions; this hypothesis was supported by the identical product ion spectra of [LGGGH - 43] ⁺ and [WGGGH - 116] ⁺, obtained from the CID of [LGGGH] ^•+ and [WGGGH] ^•+, respectively. Elimination of the neutral 116-Da radical requires inevitable dehydrogenation of the indole nitrogen atom, leaving the radical centered formally on the indole nitrogen atom ([Ind] ^•-2), in agreement with the CID data for [WGGGH] ^•+ and [W _1-CH3GGGH] ^•+; replacing the tryptophan residue with a 1-methyltryptophan residue results in a change of the base peak from that arising from a neutral radical loss (116 Da) to that arising from a molecule loss (131 Da), both originating from C _β-C _γ bond cleavage. Hydrogen atom transfer or proton transfer to the γ-carbon atom of the tryptophan residue weakens the C _β-C _γ bond and, therefore, decreases the dissociation energy barrier dramatically. © 2011 The Author(s).