Richard B. Cole University Research Professor Analytical & Mass Spectrometry B.S., Grinnell College 1978 Ph.D., University of North Carolina 1986 email: rcole@uno.edu phone: (504) 280-7412 office: CBS 239 Group Page

Research Interests Among the most powerful methods of organic compound identification and analysis is mass spectrometry (MS). This analytical technique can provide molecular weight assignments while offering a wealth of structural information. Newer ionization methods have widened the breadth of compounds amenable to mass spectrometric analysis, allowing routine determinations of biomolecules and other thermally-labile compounds including organometallic species. The parallel developments of electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption / ionization (MALDI) in the 1990's have vastly extended the possibilities for determinations of macromolecules such as biopolymers and synthetic polymers. These improvements have sparked a veritable revolution in diverse applications of mass spectrometry to biomedical, environmental, and industrial problems. The research activities of the Cole group are centered around the development of novel analytical methods employing ESI and MALDI, and improving the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying these techniques. Fundamental work includes examination of the solution factors influencing charge state distributions in ESI. Another area of basic research is the development of methods to couple electrochemical devices to mass spectrometers. The group is also actively involved in expanding the potential of mass spectrometry in the realms of synthetic polymer analyses, natural toxin determinations, and biochemical analyses. Included in the latter category are studies of peptide and protein structures, and method development in the rapidly growing area of proteomics. On-going investigations are also elucidating the structures of novel, glycoconjugates, and glycolipids. When analyzing "real-world" samples, separation of individual components of highly complex mixtures is often a prerequisite to mass spectrometric analysis. While gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been used routinely to separate and identify low molecular weight, nonpolar organic compounds for decades, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS), each capable of separating and identifying polar organic species, are also now established as essential analytical tools. Development of these interfaces, and application of chromatography-mass spectrometry to biomedical problems and trace analyses of pollutants in nearby Lake Pontchartrain, are on-going in Cole's laboratory. Dr. Cole directs the Louisiana state sponsored Center for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry Research, and the Cole group is actively involved in expanding the role of mass spectrometry in a variety of biochemical domains. This includes method development in the rapidly evolving area of proteomics, i.e., detailed characterization of an array of expressed proteins. Owing to the gentle nature of the ES process, noncovalent interactions that exist in solution, for example between proteins and other cell constituents, can be preserved for mass spectrometric study. The group also has on-going projects developing novel mass spectrometric approaches to enable detailed structural elucidation of oligosaccharides and glyconconjugates. When analyzing "real-world" samples, separation of individual components of highly complex mixtures is often a prerequisite to mass spectrometric analysis. Application of chromatography-mass spectrometry to the elucidation of components in biological samples, and to trace analyses of pollutants and natural toxins are also actively pursued in Cole's laboratory.

Selected Publications "Improved Protonation, Collision Induced Decomposition Efficiency and Structural Assessment for "Red Tide" Brevetoxins Employing Nanoelectrospray Mass Spectrometry," W. Wang and R.B. Cole, J. Mol. Spectrom. 41, 996-1005 (2006). "Identification and Comparison of the Polar Phospholipids in Normal and Dry Eye Rabbit Tears by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry," B. M. Ham, R.B.Cole, and J.T. Jacob, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 47, 3330-3338 (2006). "Identification of Metabolites of 4,4'-Methylenedianiline in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells by Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry,” K. Chen, T. R. Dugas, and R.B. Cole, J. Mass Spectrom. 41, 728-734 (2006). "Characterization of Rat Liver Microsomal and Hepatocytal Metabolites of Brevetoxins by Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry,” W. Wang, Y. Hua, G. Wang, and R.B. Cole, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 383, 67-75 (2005). “MALDI-TOF MS of Phosphorylated Lipids in Biological Fluids using Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography and a Solid Ionic Crystal Matrix” B.M. Ham, J.T. Jacob, and R.B. Cole Analytical Chemistry, 77, 4439-4447 (2005). "Determination of Bond Dissociation Energies Using Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry and a Novel Derived Effective Reaction Path Length Approach," B.M Ham and R.B. Cole, Analytical Chemistry, 77, 4148-4159, (2005). "In Vitro Metabolism of Diarylpyrazoles, a Novel Group of Cannabinoid Receptor Ligands," Q. Zhang, P. Ma, W. Wang, R.B. Cole, and G. Wang, Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 33, 508-517 (2005). "Lipid-Peptide Noncovalent Interactions Observed by Nano-electrospray FT-ICR," Y. Li, F. Heitz, C. Le Grimellec, and R.B. Cole, Analytical Chemistry, 77, 1556-1565 (2005). "Proteomic Analysis of Skeletal Muscle From Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and the Effects of Hypoxia," C.A. Bosworth, C.-W. Chou, R.B. Cole, and B.R. Rees, Proteomics, 5, 1362-1371 (2005). "Oligosaccharide Analysis Using Anion Attachment in Negative Mode Electrospray Mass Spectrometry," Y. Jiang and R.B. Cole, J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 16, 60-70 (2005). "Negative Ion Mode Evolution of Potential Buildup and Mapping of Potential Gradients within the Electrospray Emitter," B.P. Pozniak and R.B. Cole, J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 15, 1737-1747 (2004). "Interaction of Primary Amphipathic Cell Penetrating Peptides with Phospholipid-Supported Monolayers," T. Plénat, S. Deshayes, S. Boichot, P.E. Milhiet, R. B. Cole, F. Heitz, C. Le Grimmelec, Langmuir, 20, 9255-9261 (2004).