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Mass Spectrum definitions

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  • Mass Spectrum
    A plot displaying mass-to-charge ratios versus relative abundance, used to interpret peptide fragmentation and protein sequence.
  • Relative Abundance
    The intensity of a peak in a mass spectrum, indicating the quantity of ions detected at a specific mass-to-charge ratio.
  • Mass-to-Charge Ratio
    A value representing the mass of an ion divided by its charge, crucial for identifying peptide fragments in mass spectrometry.
  • Peptide Bond
    A linkage between amino acid residues whose cleavage produces distinct fragments for mass spectrometry analysis.
  • Primary Structure
    The linear sequence and composition of amino acids in a protein, revealed by analyzing mass spectrum fragmentation patterns.
  • Amino Acid Residue
    A component of a peptide whose unique molecular weight aids in identification during mass spectrometry.
  • B Ion
    A fragment containing the N-terminal residue, read from left to right in a mass spectrum and typically less stable than y ions.
  • Y Ion
    A fragment containing the C-terminal residue, read from right to left in a mass spectrum and often the most prominent peak.
  • Fragmentation
    The process of breaking peptide bonds to generate ions, enabling determination of protein sequence in mass spectrometry.
  • Pentapeptide
    A peptide composed of five amino acid residues, often used as an example for illustrating fragmentation in mass spectrometry.
  • Molecular Weight
    A unique value for most amino acids, allowing identification of residues based on mass differences between spectrum peaks.
  • Isomer
    A molecule with the same atomic composition as another but a different arrangement, complicating identification in mass spectrometry.
  • Proteomics
    A field utilizing mass spectrometry to analyze protein sequences and structures through peptide fragmentation patterns.
  • N-terminal
    The starting end of a protein or peptide, associated with b ions in mass spectrometry analysis.
  • C-terminal
    The ending end of a protein or peptide, associated with y ions in mass spectrometry analysis.