Development of Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Analysis of Complex Biomolecules.

该合同继续支持位于马里兰大学巴尔的摩县（UMBC）的中大西洋质谱（MAMS）实验室的串联质谱活动。串联质谱是质谱（MS）的几种方法之一，它提供了具有高分子量的化合物的高分辨率测量，这些化合物是典型的蛋白质、核酸和其他生物聚合物。该奖项资助的工作将集中于改进使用串联仪器分析蛋白质、糖蛋白和碳水化合物的技术；将启动或继续开展各种合作研究项目，并继续开展博士前和博士后水平的培训活动。质谱法在生物分子结构分析中发挥着越来越重要的作用。关于蛋白质序列和结构的信息，包括蛋白质自然发生的修饰，以及关于多糖和其他支链聚合物的类似信息，通过其他技术很难获得。MAMS实验室包括UMBC和约翰霍普金斯大学医学院的设施。两者都是作为协作和服务项目的共享工具资源而建立的。由于串联质谱仪器的购置和操作费用相当高，这种类型的分析在大多数研究机构中并不常见。UMBC设施为UMBC和许多其他机构的研究界提供了现代生物研究许多领域所需的技术质谱分析。

This award continues support of Tandem Mass Spectrometry activities at the Mid Atlantic Mass Spectrometry (MAMS) laboratory at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). One of several approaches to mass spectrometry (MS), tandem MS provides high resolution measurements of compounds with the high molecular weights typical of proteins, nucleic acids and other biopolymers. Efforts sponsored by this award will focus on improving techniques for analysis of proteins, glycoproteins and carbohydrates using the tandem instrument; a variety of collaborative research projects will be initiated or continued, and training activities at the pre- and post doctoral level will continue. Mass spectrometry plays an increasingly important role in the structural analysis of biomolecules. Information about protein sequence and structure, including naturally occurring modifications of proteins, and similar kinds of information about polysaccharides and other branched chain polymers are obtained with great difficulty by other techniques. The MAMS laboratory includes facilities at UMBC and at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Both were established as shared instrument resources for collaborative and service projects. Because of the considerable expense of acquisition and operation of tandem MS instruments, this type of analysis is not routinely available at most research institutions. The UMBC facility provides the research community at UMBC and at numerous other institutions with access to the kind of skilled mass spectrometry needed in many areas of modern biological research.