Trimethylsilyation is a chemical derivatization procedure routinely applied in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolomics. In this report, through de novo structural elucidation and comparison with authentic standards, we demonstrate that mimosine can be completely converted into dehydroalanine and 3,4-dihydroxypyridine during the trimethylsilyating process. Similarly, dehydroalanine can be formed from derivatization of cysteine. This conversion is a potential interference in GC-MS-based global metabolomics, as well as in analysis of amino acids.
Revised: September 14, 2011 |
Published: August 15, 2011
Citation
Kim Y., T.O. Metz, Z. Hu, S.D. Wiedner, J. Kim, R.D. Smith, and W.F. Morgan, et al. 2011.Formation of dehydroalanine from mimosine and cysteine: artifacts in gas chromatography/mass spectrometry based metabolomics.Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 25.PNNL-SA-78517.doi:10.1002/rcm.5134