Effect of Fluorescent Labels on Peptide and Amino Acid Sample Dimensionality in Two Dimensional nLC × μFFE Separations

Multidimensional separations present a unique opportunity for generating the high peak capacities necessary for the analysis of complex biological mixtures. We have coupled nano liquid chromatography with micro free flow electrophoresis (nLC × μFFE) to produce high peak capacity separations of peptide and amino acid mixtures. Currently, μFFE largely relies on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. We have demonstrated that the choice of fluorescent label significantly affects the fractional coverage and peak capacity of nLC × μFFE separations of peptides and amino acids. Of the labeling reagents assessed, Chromeo P503 performed the best for nLC × μFFE separations of peptides. A nLC × μFFE analysis of a Chromeo P503-labeled BSA tryptic digest produced a 2D separation that made effective use of the available separation space (48%), generating a corrected peak capacity of 521 in a 5 min separation window (104 peaks/min). nLC × μFFE separations of NBD-F-labeled peptides produced similar fractional covera...