Trifluoromethylation

Gene

DNA-binding protein

DNA footprinting

Chromatography

Peptide

Alkyl

Biochemistry

Base sequence

Combinatorial chemistry

Organic chemistry

Myoglobin

Reagent

Trifluoromethyl

Transcription factor

Mass spectrometry

Chemistry

Footprinting

Chemical biology

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Described is a novel, laser-initiated radical trifluoromethylation for protein footprinting and its broad residue coverage. . CF3 reacts with 18 of the 20 common amino acids, including Gly, Ala, Ser, Thr, Asp, and Glu, which are relatively silent with regard to . OH. This new approach to footprinting is a bridge between trifluoromethylation in materials and medicinal chemistry and structural biology and biotechnology. Its application to a membrane protein and to myoglobin show that the approach is sensitive to protein conformational change and solvent accessibility.

Laser‐Initiated Radical Trifluoromethylation of Peptides and Proteins: Application to Mass‐Spectrometry‐Based Protein Footprinting