A prior report, "Microfluidic Protein Sequencing" describes the utility of fixing the sequencing reagent to a support in the chemical sequencing of proteins.

In addition to macroscopic supports, utility of molecular dimension supports is also envisioned.

Particularly, such supports can provide distinguishable mass spectrometric behavior to the resultant reacted and severed terminal amino acids.

Figure 1 exemplifies the reagents with distinct mass labels and their products, as used in Edman degradation. Note that each distinct mass label is specifically associated with the position, not kind, of amino acid within the protein; and that the combined mass of the label with a particular amino acid reveals both the position and identity of this amino acid.

Figure 2 exemplifies the process. As an alternative to the accumulation vessel #2, one could pass the successive product solutions through a retaining chromatographic media, and subsequently elute the products in one step after all the reactions.

In essence, the molecular support-affixed reagents obviate the need for sequential individual identification of each modified amino acid, and makes the process more amenable to miniaturize.

While the above Edman example readily shows the essence of the invention, the C-terminal sequencing process of Fig. 1 of Ref. 1, probably is superior due to the ease of derivatizing the alkylating agent for the required distinct molecular dimension supports (mass labels).

1) Carboxyl-Terminal Sequencing Methods - Shively, John