aTRAQ™ Kit for Amino Acid Analysis of Physiological Fluids

For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

The aTRAQ Kits for amino acid analysis of physiological fluids enable you to quantitate 45 amino acids from physiological samples. The kits are designed for use with LC/MS/MS systems.

Ability to analyze 45 amino acids in a single run
High throughput with an analysis time of 18 minutes per sample
Single universal protocol for a range of physiological fluids and matrices (e.g., plasma, urine, tissue extracts, and culture media)
Small sample requirement, 40 µL
Internal standard for each analyte, leading to accurate and precise analyte identification and quantification
Wide dynamic range with an LLOQ and ULOQ of 10,000 µM, respectively
Complete kit that includes the required reagents, buffers, standards, controls, and column
Extended ability to add custom amines, amino acids, and small peptides and create corresponding internal standards
Optional ability to automate pipetting steps

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Overview

Faster performance, better accuracy.

The aTRAQ Reagents provide a consistent mass tag to aid in the MS/MS fragmentation of amino acid samples and internal standards in a molecular weight region with reduced interference. The precision and accuracy of quantitation is improved through the use of an internal standard for each amino acid analyzed; an extra degree of confirmation is provided by comparing the retention time and molecular weight of the standard and sample for each amino acid.   The mechanism of aTRAQ Reagent derivatization is shown below (Figure 1). Each aTRAQ Reagent tag consists of a reporter end and a reactive end that couples with the primary or secondary amine group of each amino acid. The reporter tag used for the sample has a molecular weight of 121 amu. The reporter tag used for the internal standard has a molecular weight of 113 amu.

Figure 1: General labeling reaction.

The labeling protocol is compatible with a wide variety of physiological matrices including plasma, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and tissue extracts. The sample (40 µL) is first mixed with a sulfosalicylic acid solution to precipitate proteins. The labeling reaction is buffered at a basic pH. The samples are labeled with aTRAQ Reagent Δ8 for 30 min, dried, and mixed with the internal standards pre-labeled with aTRAQ Reagent Δ0. The two aTRAQ Reagents have identical structures, except the number of isotopic sites vary. This mixture is analyzed by LC/MS/MS using either a triple quadrupole instrument or QTRAP System operating in mulitiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. HPLC separation is performed using a C18 column heated to 50 °C. The gradient, wash, and equilibration take a total of 18 min (Figure 2). The use of the Scheduled MRM Algorithm maximizes dwell time while monitoring of large numbers of MRM transitions, resulting in optimum data quality and reproducibility.

Figure 2: Representative chromatogram.

Using this method, the same amino acid differentially-labeled with separate tags cannot be distinguished by HPLC due to the identical retention times for the differentially-tagged amino acid. In the MS/MS mode, the tags fragment to yield reporter ions that have been encoded with isotopes to yield different masses. MRM transitions composed of the labeled amino acid masses and the reporter ion masses are used to differentiate the same amino acid from the sample and the internal standard; the ratio of these peak areas is used to calculate the concentration of the amino acid in the sample (Figure 3).

Figure 3: General scheme.

Kits
Part Number	Kit Name/ Description
4442669	aTRAQ Starter Kit Physiological 50 Assay Includes all the consumable materials except mobile phases (water and methanol) and the chromatography column (4374841) needed to run 50 aTRAQ reagent-labeled samples using the Amino Acid Analysis Physiological Sample Protocol. Also includes the following: aTRAQ Reagent Kit Physiological 50 Assay (4442668) Contains sufficient materials to label 50 physiological samples with aTRAQ™ Reagent. aTRAQ Unlabeled Standard (4442687) A mixture of unlabeled amino acids used for testing the aTRAQ Kit and protocol. Enough to do 10 tests. allo-Isoleucine (4374875) Can be used to test the separation of unlabeled allo-isoleucine, isoleucine, leucine, and norleucine. Control Plasma (4386703) A plasma sample with known concentrations of amino acids. Can be used to test the aTRAQ™ Kit and protocol using a physiological matrix. A data sheet with the amino acid reference ranges is included. Enough to do 75 tests. aTRAQ Internal Standard (4442688) Amino acid standards labeled with aTRAQ reagent ∆0. This is added to each aTRAQ reagent ∆8-labeled sample to be used as the internal standard. Includes a Certificate of Analysis with the concentrations of each amino acid in the standard, enough internal standard for 50 samples.
4442689	aTRAQ Starter Kit Physiological 50 Assay Green (no user guides included) Includes the same components as the aTRAQ Starter Kit Physiological 50 Assay (4442668) but does not include the Amino Acid Analysis Physiological Sample Protocol and Quick Reference Card.
4374841	Amino Acid Analyzer C18 Column Reverse Phase (5 µm, 4.6mm x 150mm) Column
4442672	aTRAQ Kit Physiological 50 Assay Contains sufficient materials to label 50 physiological samples with aTRAQ Reagent, the aTRAQ Internal Standard (4442688) with a Certificate of Analysis, and the Quick Reference Card.
4442691	aTRAQ Kit Physiological 50 Assay Green (no user guides included) Includes the same components as the aTRAQ Kit Physiological 50 Assay (4442672) but does not include the Quick Reference Card.
4442673	aTRAQ Kit Physiological 200 Assay Contains sufficient materials to label 200 physiological samples with aTRAQ™ Reagent, the aTRAQ Internal Standard (4442688) with a Certificate of Analysis, and the Quick Reference Card.
4442692	aTRAQ Kit Physiological 200 Assay Green (no user guides included) Includes the same components as the aTRAQ Kit Physiological 200 Assay (4442673) but does not include the Quick Reference Card.
4442674	aTRAQ Standards Set Physiological Includes the following standards: aTRAQ Internal Standard (4442688) Amino acid standards labeled with aTRAQ Reagent Δ0. This is added to each sampled labeled with aTRAQ Reagent Δ8 to be used as the internal standard. Includes a certificate of analysis with the concentrations of each amino acid in the standard. Enough for 50 samples. aTRAQ Unlabeled Standard (4442687) A mixture of unlabeled amino acids used for testing the aTRAQ Kit and protocol. Enough for 10 tests. allo-Isoleucine (4374875) Can be used to test the separation of unlabeled allo-isoleucine, isoleucine, leucine, and norleucine.
4386703	Control plasma A plasma sample with known concentrations of amino acids. Can be used to test the aTRAQ Kit and protocol using a physiological matrix. A data sheet with the amino acid reference ranges is included. Enough to do 75 tests.
4442688	aTRAQ Internal Standard Amino acid standards labeled with aTRAQ reagent Δ0. This is added to each aTRAQ reagent Δ8-labeled sample to be used as the internal. Includes a Certificate of Analysis with the concentrations of each amino acid in the standard. Enough for 50 samples.

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