Acquisition of Mass Spectrometers for the Kansas State University Functional Genomics Laboratories

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A grant has been awarded to Kansas State University under the direction of Dr. Ruth Welti for partial support of acquisition of analytical instruments that will be utilized by scientists working in the areas of plant metabolism and signaling systems in animals. While, in the past decade the complete sequences of many plant and animal genomes have been elucidated, the function of many genes and their protein products are not fully understood. Two approaches to understanding gene function (functional genomics) are (1) proteomics, in which the protein gene products carrying out specific cellular functions are identified and characterized, and (2) metabolomics, in which metabolites, formed by the action of the protein gene products, are identified and quantified. Two branches of metabolomics are glycomics, which deals with analysis of carbohydrate metabolites, and lipidomics, which deals with lipid metabolite analysis. The characterization of both protein gene products and most metabolites can be best accomplished by mass spectrometry, a technique in which biomolecules are ionized and identified by the masses of molecular ions and their derivative ions. The goal of this project is to acquire four mass spectrometers at Kansas State University with which to accomplish this research. These instruments will be utilized for functional genomics by users at Kansas State University and elsewhere.The users of the requested instrumentation work in two major areas of functional genomics, plant metabolism and signaling systems in animals. The plant scientists are investigating gene expression and function during plant abiotic and biotic stress and during development. The animal scientists are utilizing mass spectrometric strategies to understand the interplay and roles of proteins and lipids in lipoprotein complexes, membrane lipid rafts, membrane channel function, and immune responses. Acquisition of the mass spectrometers will open doors for new ways of determining the functions of biomolecules, enhancing both scientific and technical training. Formal and informal training on the utility and use of the new instrumentation will be offered to instrument users, including technical staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and faculty at all levels. Acquisition of these mass spectrometers will broaden and improve the training and research capabilities of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral students, and faculty. The availability of these instruments will enhance and strengthen the research programs of life scientists in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, Human Ecology, and Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, and scientists at other institutions in the United States and around the world. Use of the instruments should lead to greater understanding of gene product functions, of the roles of lipids, and of interactions between proteins and lipids in plants and animals. Making mass spectrometry instrumentation available for fundamental research in chemistry and biology will lead to practical applications in industry, medicine, and agriculture.