Mass-spectrometry-based chemoproteomics has enabled the rapid and proteome-wide discovery of functional and potentially ’druggable’ hotspots in proteins. While numerous transformations are now available, chemoproteomic studies still rely overwhelmingly on copper­(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or ’click’ chemistry. The absence of bio-orthogonal chemistries that are functionally equivalent and complementary to CuAAC for chemoproteomic applications has hindered the development of multiplexed chemoproteomic platforms capable of assaying multiple amino acid side chains in parallel. Here, we identify and optimize Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling conditions for activity-based protein profiling and mass-spectrometry-based chemoproteomics, including for target deconvolution and labeling site identification. Uniquely enabled by the observed orthogonality of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling and CuAAC, we combine both reactions to achieve dual labeling. Multiplexed targeted deconvolution identified the protein targets of bifunctional cysteine- and lysine-reactive probes.

Mass spectrometry-based chemoproteomics has enabled functional analysis and small molecule screening at thousands of cysteine residues in parallel. Widely adopted chemoproteomic sample preparation workflows rely on the use of pan cysteine-reactive probes such as iodoacetamide alkyne combined with biotinylation via copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or “click chemistry” for cysteine capture. Despite considerable advances in both sample preparation and analytical platforms, current techniques only sample a small fraction of all cysteines encoded in the human proteome. Extending the recently introduced labile mode of the MSFragger search engine, here we report an in-depth analysis of cysteine biotinylation via click chemistry (CBCC) reagent gas-phase fragmentation during MS/MS analysis. We find that CBCC conjugates produce both known and novel diagnostic fragments and peptide remainder ions. Among these species, we identified a candidate signature ion for CBCC peptides, the cyclic oxonium-biotin fragment ion that is generated upon fragmentation of the N­(triazole)–C­(alkyl) bond. Guided by our empirical comparison of fragmentation patterns of six CBCC reagent combinations, we achieved enhanced coverage of cysteine-labeled peptides. Implementation of labile searches afforded unique PSMs and provides a roadmap for the utility of such searches in enhancing chemoproteomic peptide coverage.

Mass spectrometry-based chemoproteomics has enabled functional analysis and small molecule screening at thousands of cysteine residues in parallel. Widely adopted chemoproteomic sample preparation workflows rely on the use of pan-cysteine reactive probes such as iodoacetamide alkyne combined with biotinylation via copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or ‘click chemistry’ for cysteine capture. Despite considerable advances in both sample preparation and analytical platforms, current techniques only sample a small fraction of all cysteines encoded in the human proteome. Extending the recently introduced labile mode of the MSFragger search engine, here we report an in-depth analysis of cysteine biotinylation via click chemistry (CBCC) reagent gas-phase fragmentation during MS/MS analysis. We find that CBCC conjugates produce both known and novel diagnostic fragments and peptide remainder ions. Among these species, we identified a candidate signature ion for CBCC peptides, the oxonium-biotin fragment ion that is generated upon fragmentation of the N(triazole)–C(alkyl) bond together with cyclization. Guided by our empirical comparison of the fragmentation patterns of five CBCC reagent combinations, we achieved enhanced coverage of cysteine labeled peptides. For larger, fragmentation-prone biotinylation reagents, implementation of labile search afforded unique PSMs and provides a roadmap for the utility of such searches in enhancing chemoproteomic peptide coverage.

Bioorthogonal chemistry is a mainstay of chemoproteomic sample preparation workflows. While numerous transformations are now available, chemoproteomic studies still rely overwhelmingly on copper-catalyzed azide –alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or 'click' chemistry. Here we demonstrate that gel-based activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) and mass-spectrometry-based chemoproteomic profiling can be conducted using Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling. We identify reaction conditions that proceed in complex cell lysates and find that Suzuki –Miyaura cross-coupling and CuAAC yield comparable chemoproteomic coverage. Importantly, Suzuki–Miyaura is also compatible with chemoproteomic target deconvolution, as demonstrated using structurally matched probes tailored to react with the cysteine protease caspase-8. Uniquely enabled by the observed orthogonality of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling and CuAAC, we combine both reactions to achieve dual protein labeling.

Mass spectrometry-based chemoproteomics has enabled functional analysis and small molecule screening at thousands of cysteine residues in parallel. Widely adopted chemoproteomic sample preparation workflows rely on the use of pan-cysteine reactive probes such as iodoacetamide alkyne combined with biotinylation via copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or ‘click chemistry’ for cysteine capture. Despite considerable advances in both sample preparation and analytical platforms, current techniques only sample a small fraction of all cysteines encoded in the human proteome. Extending the recently introduced labile mode of the MSFragger search engine, here we report an in-depth analysis of cysteine biotinylation via click chemistry (CBCC) reagent gas-phase fragmentation during MS/MS analysis. We find that CBCC conjugates produce both known and novel diagnostic fragments and peptide remainder ions. Among these species, we identified a candidate signature ion for CBCC peptides, the oxonium-biotin fragment ion that is generated upon fragmentation of the N(triazole)–C(alkyl) bond together with cyclization. Guided by our empirical comparison of the fragmentation patterns of five CBCC reagent combinations, we achieved enhanced coverage of cysteine labeled peptides. For larger, fragmentation-prone biotinylation reagents, implementation of labile search afforded unique PSMs and provides a roadmap for the utility of such searches in enhancing chemoproteomic peptide coverage.