Enzymatic protein digest in chip-based nanovials with immobilized proteolytic enzymes

In the present work, protein digest reactions in silicon-based microchips, coated with immobilized proteolytic enzymes, have been carried out. The performance of such vials, modified with trypsin or chymotrypsin, was tested with myoglobin as a substrate. Capillary electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry were utilized for analysis of the digests, and the influence of different instrumentation setups, immobilization procedures and reaction conditions are discussed.