MAPPING OF PEPTIDES AND PROTEIN-FRAGMENTS IN HUMAN URINE USING LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY

A method for the mapping of peptide mixtures, heterogeneous with respe ct to the concentration and the size of individual peptides, was estab lished with the aim of obtaining a comprehensive analysis of human uri ne peptides. Peptide extraction and fractionation were optimized to ac hieve a two-step analysis, using reversed-phase and ion-exchange chrom atography. Highly sensitive detection of peptides was performed by cou pling microbore HPLC with electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), Pep tides such as urodilatin, angiotensin and fragments of psoriasin, gran ulin and uromodulin were isolated and sequenced. The procedure present ed here is a tool for the analysis of complex peptide mixtures from hu man urine. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.