Applications and future of ion mobility mass spectrometry in structural biology

Abstract

Ion mobility coupled to mass spectrometry (IMMS) is a technique that simultaneously separates gaseous ions on the basis of their mass, shape and size. The continuous advances in native mass spectrometry applied to IMMS have prompted its application in the structural study of biomolecules. Hence, challenging systems in terms of molecular size, complexity and heterogeneity can be transferred to the gas phase and their structural properties can be analyzed. Although IMMS is a low resolution technique, in silico theoretical models or simulations can provide valuable microscopic information about the structure, dynamics and population of the species. Given these unprecedented advantages of IMMS, this emerging method is becoming an established, reliable and versatile tool for structural biology.