Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Gene

Gel electrophoresis

Top-down proteomics

Membrane protein

Mass spectrometry

Enzyme

Chemistry

Protein mass spectrometry

Combinatorial chemistry

Sodium dodecyl sulfate

Tandem mass spectrometry

Membrane

Chromatography

Proteomics

Solubilization

Biochemistry

Pulmonary surfactant

Nature Methods

We report the identification of a photocleavable anionic surfactant, 4-hexylphenylazosulfonate (Azo), which can be rapidly degraded by ultraviolet irradiation, for top-down proteomics. Azo can effectively solubilize proteins with performance comparable to that of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and is compatible with mass spectrometry. Azo-aided top-down proteomics enables the solubilization of membrane proteins for comprehensive characterization of post-translational modifications. Moreover, Azo is simple to synthesize and can be used as a general SDS replacement in SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A mass-spectrometry-compatible surfactant called Azo effectively solubilizes proteins, is rapidly degraded by ultraviolet irradiation and enables top-down proteomic analysis of membrane proteins.

A photocleavable surfactant for top-down proteomics