Mass Spectrometric Identification of SARS-CoV‑2 Proteins from Gargle Solution Samples of COVID-19 Patients

• Published in: Journal of proteome research Vol. 19; no. 11; pp. 4389 - 4392
• Main Authors: Ihling, Christian, Tänzler, Dirk, Hagemann, Sven, Kehlen, Astrid, Hüttelmaier, Stefan, Arlt, Christian, Sinz, Andrea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 06.11.2020
• Subjects: acetone; Betacoronavirus - chemistry; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Communication; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections - virology; COVID-19; COVID-19 infection; COVID-19 Testing; digestion; genomics; Humans; mass spectrometry; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Mouth - virology; nucleoproteins; Nucleoproteins - analysis; Nucleoproteins - chemistry; Pandemics; Peptide Fragments - analysis; Peptide Fragments - chemistry; peptides; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; proteome; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Viral Proteins - analysis; Viral Proteins - chemistry; viruses; COVID-19; nucleoprotein; mass spectrometry; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 1535-3893; 1535-3907; 1535-3907
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00280

Mass spectrometry (MS) can deliver valuable diagnostic data that complement genomic information and allow us to increase our current knowledge of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We developed a simple, MS-based method to specifically detect SARS-CoV-2 proteins from gargle solution samples of COVID-19 patients. The protocol consists of an acetone precipitation and tryptic digestion of proteins contained within the gargle solution, followed by a targeted MS analysis. Our methodology identifies unique peptides originating from SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein. Building on these promising initial results, faster MS protocols can now be developed as routine diagnostic tools for COVID-19 patients. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD019423.