Progress in Combination of Gel Electrophoresis and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry for Trace Elements Determination in Proteins

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has become a very efficient and sensitive trace, ultratrace, and surface analytical technique for the in situ study of the concentration and distribution of the elements in life sciences with high spatial resolution. It is being used more and more frequently in biological, medical materials and protein research, which will lead to a better understanding of physiology and pathology process in cells and tissues. The present review mainly introduces the strategies of combination of gel electrophoresis (GE) with LA-ICP-MS for the quantification of trace elements in proteins, including the proteins separation, elements detection and calibration methods. The paper emphasizes the basic conditions of the proteins separation, focusing on the stability of proteins during GE and the treatment methods of staining and drying of the gel to enable successful detection of the elements by LA-ICP-MS. In addition, the application of GE-LA-ICP-MS in phosphoproteins, selenoproteins and metal-binding proteins is introduced in detail. The prospects and challenge for this technique are discussed as well for further study.