NOVEL DETECTION SCHEMES FOR THE TRACE ANALYSIS OF AMINO-ACIDS AND PEPTIDES USING CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

The ability of the cellular biochemist to understand events occurring in small subsections of an individual cell depends on available analyt ical techniques. capillary electrophoresis (CE) detection schemes for trace level peptide analysis are characterized: an on-line, multichann el, laser-induced fluorescence system and a post-column radionuclide s ystem. The fluorescence system has picomolar concentration detection l imits (and zeptomole mass limits of detection) for tagged amino acids and peptides. Preliminary results are presented for a method to enhanc e the ability to fluorescently tag low concentrations of amino acids a nd peptides from neuronal subsections. The procedure takes advantage o f the high local concentration of peptides within a synaptic vesicle t o enhance the derivatization reaction. The other detection method desc ribed involves a post-column S-35 detector to examine methionine or cy steine containing peptides. This system deposits the effluent from the separation capillary onto a membrane treated with a solid scintillato r. After drying the membrane, the photon emission is imaged with a sol id-state integrating detector. The sensitivity for S-35 labeled compon ents is in the attomole range.