OVERVIEW

The Mayo Proteomics Research Center (MPRC) is designed to provide investigators throughout Mayo Foundation with the tools needed for proteomic analyses and custom peptide synthesis. The MPRC is located in Mayo Clinic Rochester on the third floor of the Medical Sciences Building. The MPRC also includes the Peptide Synthesis Facility which is located on Guggenheim 16.

The members of the MPRC carry out research and provide services in the areas of differential protein expression, protein sequencing, protein-protein interactions and protein structure and function, as well as protein identification.

Responsibility for the MPRC is shared between the co-directors, Dr. H. Robert Bergen and Dr. Daniel Mc Cormick.

The MPRC in Rochester is equipped with nine mass spectrometers including: quadrupole (3), linear ion trap (LTQ, 1), time-of-flight (Tof, 2), hybrid quadrupole-Tof (Q-Tof, 2), and hybrid ion trap-Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (LTQ-FT ICR). All of these mass spectrometry systems are equipped with conventional and/or nano LC separations systems and electrospray ionization (ESI) sources for positive and negative ion analysis.

Additional state-of-the-art instruments needed for medium throughput and high sensitivity proteomic analyses are also available including equipment/software for 1 and 2D-PAGE and subsequent staining and differential gel analysis.

The MPRC is equipped with state-of-the-art bioinformatics including programmers and software tools (MASCOT, SEQUEST, and ProteinLynx Global Server) for automated database searches. A multimode Linux cluster is utilized for these searches, as well as for differential analysis experiments.

The MPRC also works in connection with Dr. K. Sreekumaran Nair of the GCRC at St. Marys Hospital. The GCRC is involved in the study of metabolomics in clinical research with patient samples.