Mass spectrometry-based absolute protein quantification: PSAQ™ strategy makes use of "noncanonical" proteotypic peptides.

Absolute quantification of proteins using isotope dilution mass spectrometry requires the selection of proteotypic peptides. When choosing these peptides, a certain number of rules must be respected. Several of these were established to safeguard against quantification errors resulting from the isotopically labeled standard peptides not behaving in the same way as the peptides to be quantified. Of all absolute quantification methods using isotope dilution, Protein Standard for Absolute Quantification (PSAQTM) offers the maximal protein sequence coverage. In the present study, we show that the PSAQ method presents a previously unreported advantage for protein quantification as it makes use of Met/Cys-containing peptides and peptides-containing miscleavages in addition to proteotypic peptides. By increasing the total number of peptides that can be considered, robustness of quantification is improved, paving the way for a facilitated quantification of low abundant and/or low-molecular-weight proteins.