Facilities and Services
Instruments
SERVICES AND EQUIPMENT
The W. M. Keck Proteomics Laboratory at Noel T. Keen Hall houses the following equipment.
| Instrument | Keen Hall Location |
|---|---|
| QSTAR XL oMALDI MS/MS | Rm 1018 |
| Q-TOF ESI MS/MS | Rm 1018 |
| Waters Capillary HPLC | Rm 1018 |
| LC-MALDIprep | Rm 1018 |
| Nano-UPLC | Rm 1018 |
The main techniques used are the MALDI-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS as well as genome database dependent bioinformatics tools such as Mascot. Both MALDI-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS experiments are performed with triple-quadrupole-TOF hybrid mass analyzers manufactured by Micromass of Waters Corporation or by Applied Biosystems. Both systems are able to provide peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) and tandem MS data for protein identification as well as the mapping of post-translational modifications (PTM) sites. The LC-MS analyses are able to provide data for quantitative comparison of relative protein abundance between different types of biological samples using a label-free method. Other than commonly used public genome database to study predicted protein precursors, we have configured Mascot for in-depth characterization of recombinant proteins that are engineered by customers using the custom database of actual proteins instead of predicted ones. Additionally, we have an IPGphor 2D-gel electrophoresis system manufactured by Pharmacia for high-resolution protein separation prior to MS analysis.
In addition to MS data quality and analysis, experimental design is also critical in the interpretation of proteomics results. Biological conclusions drawn from proteomics research are largely dependent on how samples are treated and prepared. In order to execute scientifically and technically appropriate experiments, experimentalists need to have knowledge and experience in connecting the two routines: biological sample treatment and analytical chemistry. We are delighted to provide technical consultation in this regard before users set up their experiments.