Native electrospray mass spectrometry approaches to probe the interaction between zinc and an anti-angiogenic peptide from histidine-rich glycoprotein

Zinc modulates the biological function of histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) through binding to its His-rich region (HRR). The Zn(2+)-binding properties of a 35 amino-acid biologically-active peptide mimic of the HRR, HRGP330, were investigated using dissociative mass spectrometry approaches in addition to travelling-wave ion mobility mass spectrometry (TWIM-MS). Native mass spectrometry confirmed zinc binding to HRGP330; however, broadening of the (1)H NMR resonances upon addition of Zn(2+) ions precluded the attainment of structural information. A complementary approach employing TWIM-MS indicated that HRGP330 has a more compact structure in the presence of Zn(2+) ions. Top-down MS/MS data supported a metal-binding-induced conformational change, as fewer fragments were observed for Zn(2+)-bound HRGP330. Zn(2+)-bound fragments of both N-terminal and C-terminal ends of the peptide were identified from collision-induced dissociation (CID) and electron transfer dissociation/proton transfer reaction (ETD/PTR) experiments, suggesting that multiple binding sites exist within this region of HRG. The combination of mass spectrometry and NMR approaches provides new insight into the highly dynamic interaction between zinc and this His-rich peptide.