MacCoss - Stellar highly multiplex fluid assays

Development of highly multiplex targeted proteomics assays in biofluids using a nominal mass ion trap mass spectrometer
Data License: CC BY 4.0 | ProteomeXchange: PXD065471 | doi: https://doi.org/10.6069/vanc-2e06
  • Organism: Homo sapiens, Gallus gallus
  • Instrument: Orbitrap Exploris 480,Stellar
  • SpikeIn: No
  • Keywords: PRM, targeted proteomics, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, assay development
  • Lab head: Michael MacCoss Submitter: Deanna Plubell
Abstract
The development of targeted assays that monitor biomedically relevant proteins is an important step in bridging discovery experiments to large scale clinical studies. Targeted assays are currently unable to scale to hundreds or thousands of targets. We demonstrate the generation of large-scale assays using a novel hybrid nominal mass instrument. The scale of these assays is achievable with the StellarTM mass spectrometer through the accommodation of shifting retention times by real-time alignment, while being sensitive and fast enough to handle many concurrent targets. Assays were constructed using precursor information from gas-phase fractionated (GPF) data-independent acquisition (DIA). We demonstrate the ability to schedule methods from an orbitrap and linear ion trap acquired GPF DIA library and compare the quantification of a matrix-matched calibration curve from orbitrap DIA and linear ion trap parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Two applications of these proposed workflows are shown with a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurodegenerative disease protein PRM assay and with a Mag-Net enriched plasma extracellular vesicle (EV) protein survey PRM assay.
Experiment Description
Here we describe the application of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Stellar mass spectrometer for the implementation of highly multiplex targeted assays in both human CSF and plasma. The Stellar instrument hardware is a combination of a quadrupole mass filter, an ion routing multiple, and a dual pressure, radial ejection, linear ion trap (LIT). This hardware is conceptually similar to the Tribrid series instruments without the Orbitrap analyzer. Additionally, as with the Tribrid instruments, the Stellar can pipeline the quadrupole isolation and analyte fragmentation in parallel with the spectrum acquisition in the LIT. A unique capability of the Stellar is the implementation of an intelligent data acquisition strategy that can accommodate chromatographic retention time shifts by updating the scheduled target list using a real-time retention time alignment as described previously8 and now called Adaptive RT. Furthermore, the workflow for developing targeted PRM assays using GFP DIA data has been improved with a Skyline external tool called PRM Conductor.
Sample Description
Both lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma in EDTA anticoagulant were collected for age and sex matched samples from four diagnosis categories: Parkinson’s disease cognitively normal (PDCN), Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD), Alzheimer’s disease dementia, and healthy cognitively normal (HCN). Diagnostic criteria for ADD and PD and the assessments for the cognitive status determination have previously been described. Study protocols were approved by the institutional review board of Stanford University and written informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legally authorized representative. Matrix-matched calibration curves were made for both CSF and Mag-Net enriched plasma EV samples29. For the CSF curve, a 10% diluted chicken serum sample was used as the matched matrix. For the Mag-Net enriched plasma EV samples, a pool of human plasma was diluted into chicken plasma (Innovative Research, Novi, MI). For both the CSF and Mag-Net enriched plasma EV samples, a calibration curve was made using volumetric human:chicken percentages or 100%, 70%, 50%, 30%, 10%, 7%, 5%, 3%, 1%, 0.7%, 0.5%, 0.3%, and 0.1%.
Created on 6/25/25, 6:18 PM
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Exp_CSF_GPF_A_2024-05-06_21-16-47.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:201,8297,3787,37855,0401
2024-05 CSF LIT GPF-MSFragger-3.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:201,0825,0956,01940,4016
240207_gpf_2024-06-04_10-24-18.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:201,2886,98410,593126,0861
230305_ev2_prm_final_inj1_2024-06-04_07-32-10.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:207222,0892,08914,44942
230124_p2_neo_30min_3500targets_opt_trans_pepleveldilution_2024-06-04_06-58-16.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:201,0273,5013,50111,42041
CSF_neurod105_assay_individuals_manual_2024-06-03_15-26-36.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:201029029026,34537
Exp_CSF_MMCC_quant_all_adjBound_opttrans_nochick_2024-06-03_14-53-02.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:201,2058,3748,37424,93427
OT_GPF_PRM_survey_MMCC_boundaries_opttrans_nochick_2024-06-03_14-36-08.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:201,2801,9711,9715,80127
LIT_GPF_survey_newAlign_MMCC_boundaries_opttrans_nochick_2024-06-02_15-26-11.sky.zip2025-06-25 18:12:207982,0352,0355,99827

The development of targeted assays that monitor biomedically relevant proteins is an important step in bridging discovery experiments to large scale clinical studies. Targeted assays are currently unable to scale to hundreds or thousands of targets. We demonstrate the generation of large-scale assays using a novel hybrid nominal mass instrument. The scale of these assays is achievable with the Stellar through the accommodation of shifting retention times by real-time alignment, while being sensitive and fast enough to handle many concurrent targets. Assays were constructed using precursor information from gas-phase fractionated (GPF) DIA. We demonstrate the ability to schedule methods from an orbitrap and linear ion trap acquired GPF DIA library, and compare the quantification of a matrix-matched calibration curve from orbitrap DIA and linear ion trap PRM. Two applications of these proposed workflows are shown with a CSF neurodegenerative disease protein PRM assay and with a Mag-Net enriched plasma protein survey PRM assay.

 

Raw files are organized by instrument and experiment.
Skyline files for MMCC contain only optimal transitions for LOQ. Skyline files for the cohort assays contain transitions selected through PRM conductor.

Code for analysis is available at https://github.com/uw-maccosslab/manuscript-stellar-biofluid.

Associated preprint: Development of highly multiplex targeted proteomics assays in biofluids using the Stellar mass spectrometer | bioRxiv