Studying protein structure and function by native separation-mass spectrometry

Alterations in protein structure may have profound effects on biological function. Analytical techniques that permit characterization of proteins while maintaining their conformational and functional state are crucial for studying changes in the higher order structure of proteins and for establishing structure-function relationships. Coupling of native protein separations with mass spectrometry is emerging rapidly as a powerful approach to study these aspects in a reliable, fast and straightforward way. This Review presents the available native separation modes for proteins, covers practical considerations on the hyphenation of these separations with mass spectrometry and highlights the involvement of affinity-based separations to simultaneously obtain structural and functional information of proteins. The impact of these approaches is emphasized by selected applications addressing biomedical and biopharmaceutical research questions.

Automated summary

Alterations in protein structure can greatly impact biological function. Analytical techniques that maintain the conformation and function of proteins are crucial for studying changes in their higher order structure and establishing structure-function relationships. The coupling of native protein separations with mass spectrometry is a powerful approach for studying these aspects in a reliable, fast, and straightforward manner. Affinity-based separations are highlighted for obtaining both structural and functional information of proteins simultaneously.