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LC-MS/MS-based analysis of coenzyme A and short-chain acyl-coenzyme A thioesters

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Abstract

Absolute quantification of intracellular coenzyme A (CoA), coenzyme A disulfide, and short-chain acyl-coenzyme A thioesters was addressed by developing a tailored metabolite profiling method based on liquid chromatography in combination with tandem mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS/MS). A reversed phase chromatographic separation was established which is capable of separating a broad spectrum of CoA, its corresponding derivatives, and their isomers despite the fact that no ion-pairing reagent was used (which was considered as a key advantage of the method). Excellent analytical figures of merit such as high sensitivity (LODs in the nM to sub-nM range) and high repeatability (routinely 4 %; N = 15) were obtained. Method validation comprised a study on standard purity, stability, and recoveries during sample preparation. Uniformly labeled U13C yeast cell extracts offered ideal internal standards for validation purposes and for a quantification exercise in the rumen bacterium Megasphaera elsdenii.

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Correspondence to Gunda Koellensperger.

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Neubauer, S., Chu, D.B., Marx, H. et al. LC-MS/MS-based analysis of coenzyme A and short-chain acyl-coenzyme A thioesters. Anal Bioanal Chem 407, 6681–6688 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-8825-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-8825-9

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