@article{open495,
          volume = {408},
          number = {2},
           month = {January},
          author = {Neeraj Dhaunta and Uzma Fatima and Purnananda Guptasarma},
            note = {Copyright of this article belongs to Elsevier Science},
           title = {N-Terminal sequencing by mass spectrometry through specific fluorescamine labeling of {\ensuremath{\alpha}}-amino groups before tryptic digestion.},
       publisher = {Elsevier Science},
            year = {2011},
         journal = {Analytical biochemistry},
           pages = {263--8},
        keywords = { Fluorescamine adduction; Mass spectrometry; Protein sequencing; N-terminal sequencing; pH effects; {\ensuremath{\alpha}}-Amino group reactivity

},
             url = {http://crdd.osdd.net/open/495/},
        abstract = {We present a single-step procedure for the specific mass labeling of unblocked protein N termini. We show that the dye fluorescamine, which is commonly assumed to require mildly alkaline conditions for undergoing a nonspecific reaction with {\ensuremath{\alpha}}- and {\ensuremath{\epsilon}}-amino groups associated with amino acids, in fact shows a specific reaction only with {\ensuremath{\alpha}}-amino groups present at protein N termini when mildly acidic conditions are used. We use this finding to label, identify, and sequence the trypsinolysis-derived N-terminal peptide of lysozyme, using only mass spectrometry, to illustrate how this method could be used with other proteins.}
}