Name: a plasma sample preparation for mass spectrometry using an automated workstation
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<ol>
	<li>Fu, Q., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Highly+Reproducible+Automated+Proteomics+Sample+Preparation+Workflow+for+Quantitative+Mass+Spectrometry.">Highly Reproducible Automated Proteomics Sample Preparation Workflow for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry.</a> Journal of Proteome Research. 17 (1), 420-428 (2018).</li><li>Lehmann, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Clinical+mass+spectrometry+proteomics+(cMSP)+for+medical+laboratory:+What+does+the+future+hold?.">Clinical mass spectrometry proteomics (cMSP) for medical laboratory: What does the future hold?.</a> Clinica Chimica Acta. 467, 51-58 (2017).</li><li>Abbatiello, S. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Large-Scale+Interlaboratory+Study+to+Develop,+Analytically+Validate+and+Apply+Highly+Multiplexed,+Quantitative+Peptide+Assays+to+Measure+Cancer-Relevant+Proteins+in+Plasma.">Large-Scale Interlaboratory Study to Develop, Analytically Validate and Apply Highly Multiplexed, Quantitative Peptide Assays to Measure Cancer-Relevant Proteins in Plasma.</a> Molecular &amp; Cellular Proteomics. 14 (9), 2357-2374 (2015).</li><li>Kuster, B., Schirle, M., Mallick, P., Aebersold, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Scoring+proteomes+with+proteotypic+peptide+probes.">Scoring proteomes with proteotypic peptide probes.</a> Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 6 (7), 577-583 (2005).</li><li>Carr, S. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Targeted+peptide+measurements+in+biology+and+medicine:+best+practices+for+mass+spectrometry-based+assay+development+using+a+fit-for-purpose+approach.">Targeted peptide measurements in biology and medicine: best practices for mass spectrometry-based assay development using a fit-for-purpose approach.</a> Molecular &amp; Cellular Proteomics. 13 (3), 907-917 (2014).</li><li>Yates, J. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pivotal+role+of+computers+and+software+in+mass+spectrometry+-+SEQUEST+and+20+years+of+tandem+MS+database+searching.">Pivotal role of computers and software in mass spectrometry - SEQUEST and 20 years of tandem MS database searching.</a> Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. 26 (11), 1804-1813 (2015).</li><li>Nilsson, T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mass+spectrometry+in+high-throughput+proteomics:+ready+for+the+big+time.">Mass spectrometry in high-throughput proteomics: ready for the big time.</a> Nature Methods. 7 (9), 681-685 (2010).</li><li>Van Eyk, J. E., Sobhani, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Precision+Medicine.">Precision Medicine.</a> Circulation. 138 (20), 2172-2174 (2018).</li><li>Hoofnagle, A. N., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Recommendations+for+the+Generation,+Quantification,+Storage,+and+Handling+of+Peptides+Used+for+Mass+Spectrometry-Based+Assays.">Recommendations for the Generation, Quantification, Storage, and Handling of Peptides Used for Mass Spectrometry-Based Assays.</a> Clinical Chemistry. 62 (1), 48-69 (2016).</li><li>Wijayawardena, B., Fu, Q., Johnson, C., Van Eyk, J. E., Kowalski, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Highly+Reproducible+Automated+Proteomics+Sample+Preparation+on+Biomek+i-Series.">Highly Reproducible Automated Proteomics Sample Preparation on Biomek i-Series.</a> Technical note, Beckman Coulter Life Science. Document # AAG-4890APP02. 19, (2019).</li></ol>

Sample processing for mass spectrometry requires protein denaturation, reduction and alkylation to block cysteines, and trypsin digestion to cleave proteins into peptides. Each chemical or enzymatic reaction needs to be initiated at a designated time and performed at a controlled temperature, and every step in the process involves multiple liquid transfer steps where experimental variation can be introduced. Automated sample processing provides a solution to this dilemma. Presently available liquid handling systems have the capability to transfer reagents into 96-well plates with an accuracy and precision of less than 5%, depending on the head and tip type used, and to incubate samples, with shaking if desired, under controlled temperatures ranging from 14 &#176;C to 70 &#176;C. We used an automated liquid handler to process plasma for SRM assays in a 96-well format.
There are many thousands of protease cleavage sites within the complex mixtures of proteins in serum, plasma, and other biological samples; and each of these proteins has unique properties affecting cleavage site accessibility and the stability of the resulting peptides. It is, therefore, impossible to design a sample processing procedure that is optimal for every protein. The best alternative is to be as consistent as possible.
To achieve consistency, we optimized each pipetting step performed by the automated liquid handler. We first considered the volume required and constraints imposed by the liquid&#8217;s type (plasma, aqueous, or organic) and corresponding properties (viscosity, cohesion, and volatility), hardware (workstation pipetting-head and plate-grabbing arms), and labware. We then varied the speed and trailing air gap for aspiration, the speed and blowout volume for dispensing, and the force and duration of mixing, while incorporating a tip touch after aspiration and/or dispensing, if needed, to eliminate liquid adhering to the outside of the tips (Figure 13, Supplemental Table 1). A unique SIL peptide, pre-screened for stability, was spiked into each reagent to make it possible to monitor the precision of each liquid handling step. After optimization, the process CVs for the majority of the transitions were less than 10%, demonstrating good reproducibility with the automated workstation (Figure 9, Figure 10, Figure 11 and Figure 12).
The automated workflow presented here provides for consistent enzymatic digestion with improved reproducibility and throughput compared to manual methods (Figure 9, Figure 10). This approach promises to improve the accuracy and reliability of biomarker discovery and validation by mass spectrometry.

Mass spectrometry (MS) -based protein and peptide quantification is increasingly being applied as a bioanalytical tool for plasma analysis in basic research and clinical laboratories2,3. The requisite instrumentation and informatics have advanced rapidly as MS has become the method of choice for quantifying proteins or modified proteins by targeting specific peptide sequences due to its ability to quantify hundreds of peptides in a single MS run4. Sample preparation serves as the foundation for any proteomic analysis. Prior to MS analysis, the proteins in a biological sample are typically denatured, reduced, alkylated, digested into tryptic peptides, and desalted5. Alkylation blocks cysteines to prevent uncontrolled modifications and ensure all cysteines have the same mass. Next, trypsin is added to digest proteins into peptides. Each of these steps requires optimization, and the entire process is traditionally performed manually, allowing for the introduction of analytical errors.
The traditional biomarker development pipeline consists of two main processes: shotgun proteomics for global protein discovery to create an in-depth protein inventory6 and targeted proteomics for verification and validation aimed at high-precision and high-throughput protein quantitation7. Regardless of the MS approach, sample preparation is the same and centers on enzymatic cleavage of proteins into a peptide mixture. As proposed by Van Eyk and Sobhani8, having a method that allows for accurate, precise, and reproducible analysis for both discovery and targeted assays is desired to effectively move discovery biomarkers to clinical implemented assays. To do this, automation of sample preparation will be helpful and provide the ability to increase the efficiency to high-throughput analysis. Manual methods typically introduce analytical errors beyond acceptable limits specified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the revised Bioanalytical Method Validation Guidance, which includes biomarkers and diagnostics2,9. The development of a fast, highly accurate, and hands-free MS protein sample preparation workflow will be necessary to facilitate biomarker research, which requires preparing and analyzing thousands of biological samples. MS sample preparation has many steps where errors can be introduced, and the process is tedious and time-consuming.
In our improved method, an automated workstation was programed to perform all necessary plasma sample preparation procedures in a total of 6 steps (Figure 1) to ensure: 1) accurate liquid transfers; 2) the reaction is initiated and stopped at a consistent time; 3) the reaction is performed at a controlled temperature (i.e., incubator); and 4) the reaction has uniform mixing for all reactions. We also implemented adding exogenous quality control proteins and internal standards (stable isotope-labeled peptide standards) to ensure a quality and reproducible throughput of LC-MS-based protein and peptide quantification in a 96-well format. Including reagent preparation, hours of work time and a total of 1,000,000 pipetting steps would be required to process 96 samples in individual tubes. Automation reduces the hands-on time and the number of human interactions involved.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>A Pooled healthy human plasma</td>
			<td>Bioreclamation Inc.</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>human plasma tested in the manuscript</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acetonitrile, HPLC Grade</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A998SK1</td>
			<td>LC MS/MS solvent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B-Galactosidase Recombinant from E.Coli</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G3153-5MG</td>
			<td>exogenous control proteins.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Biomek i7 Automated Workstation</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter, Inc.</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>The proteomic sample preparation workstation: Biomek automated workstations are not intended or validated for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Biomek i-Series Tips 230&#181;L Non-Sterile</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter, Inc.</td>
			<td>B85903&#160;</td>
			<td>Tips, i7 consumable</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Biomek i-Series Tips 90&#181;L Non-Sterile</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter, Inc.</td>
			<td>B85881&#160;</td>
			<td>Tips, i7 consumable</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FG, Kit Trypsin TPCK</td>
			<td>Sciex</td>
			<td>4445250</td>
			<td>Trypsin used in digestion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hard-Shell 96-Well PCR Plates, low profile, thin wall, skirted, green/clear&#160;</td>
			<td>Bio-Rad</td>
			<td>#hsp9641</td>
			<td>Autosampler plate</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Octyl B-D-Glucopyranoside</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>O9882-5G</td>
			<td>detergent used in digestion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polypropylene, 96-Round Deep Well Plates Sterile</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter, Inc.</td>
			<td>267007</td>
			<td>Reagent and digestion plate</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Prominence UFLCXR HPLC system</td>
			<td>Shimadzu, Japan</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>High flow LC sytem</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>QTRAP 6500</td>
			<td>SCIEX</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Mass spectrometer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Water, HPLC Grade</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>W54</td>
			<td>LC MS/MS solvent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Xbridge BEH30 C18 2.1mm x 100mm</td>
			<td>Waters</td>
			<td>186003564</td>
			<td>LC MSMS column</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a plasma sample preparation for mass spectrometry using an automated workstation

Sample preparation for mass spectrometry analysis in proteomics requires enzymatic cleavage of proteins into a peptide mixture. This process involves numerous incubation and liquid transfer steps in order to achieve denaturation, reduction, alkylation, and cleavage. Adapting this workflow onto an automated workstation can increase efficiency and reduce coefficients of variance, thereby providing more reliable data for statistical comparisons between sample types. We previously described an automated proteomic sample preparation workflow1. Here, we report the development of a more efficient and better controlled workflow with the following advantages: 1) The number of liquid transfer steps is reduced from nine to six by combining reagents; 2) Pipetting time is reduced by selective tip pipetting using a 96-position pipetting head with multiple channels; 3) Potential throughput is increased by the availability of up to 45 deck positions; 4) Complete enclosure of the system provides improved temperature and environmental control and reduces the potential for contamination of samples or reagents; and 5) The addition of stable isotope labeled peptides, as well as &#946;-galactosidase protein, to each sample makes monitoring and quality control possible throughout the entire process. These hardware and process improvements provide good reproducibility and improve intra-assay and inter-assay precision (CV of less than 20%) for LC-MS based protein and peptide quantification. The entire workflow for digesting 96 samples in a 96-well plate can be completed in approximately 5 hours.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Plasma Sample Preparation for Mass Spectrometry using an Automated Workstation at JoVE.com

A Plasma Sample Preparation for Mass Spectrometry using an Automated Workstation

Here, we present an automated plasma protein digestion method for mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic analysis. In this protocol, the liquid transferring and incubation steps for protein denaturation, reduction, alkylation, and trypsin digestion reactions are streamlined and automated. It takes approximately five hours to prepare a 96-well plate with desired precision.

Sample preparation for mass spectrometry analysis in proteomics requires enzymatic cleavage of proteins into a peptide mixture. This process involves ...

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