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

在Ruth Welti博士的指导下，向堪萨斯州立大学提供了一笔赠款，用于部分支持购买分析仪器，供研究植物代谢和动物信号系统领域的科学家使用。 虽然在过去的十年中，许多植物和动物基因组的完整序列已被阐明，但许多基因及其蛋白质产物的功能尚未完全了解。 理解基因功能（功能基因组学）的两种方法是（1）蛋白质组学，其中鉴定和表征执行特定细胞功能的蛋白质基因产物，以及（2）代谢组学，其中鉴定和定量由蛋白质基因产物作用形成的代谢物。 代谢组学的两个分支是糖组学和脂质组学，糖组学处理碳水化合物代谢物的分析，脂质组学处理脂质代谢物分析。 蛋白质基因产物和大多数代谢产物的表征可以通过质谱法最好地完成，质谱法是一种将生物分子电离并通过分子离子及其衍生物离子的质量来鉴定的技术。 本项目的目标是在堪萨斯州立大学获得四台质谱仪来完成这项研究。这些仪器将由堪萨斯州立大学和其他地方的用户用于功能基因组学。所要求的仪器的用户在功能基因组学的两个主要领域工作，植物代谢和动物信号系统。 植物科学家正在研究植物在非生物和生物胁迫以及发育过程中的基因表达和功能。 动物科学家正在利用质谱策略来了解蛋白质和脂质在脂蛋白复合物、膜脂筏、膜通道功能和免疫反应中的相互作用和作用。 获得质谱仪将为确定生物分子功能的新方法打开大门，加强科学和技术培训。 将向仪器用户，包括技术人员、本科生、研究生、博士后学员和各级教师提供关于新仪器的实用性和使用的正式和非正式培训。 这些质谱仪的采购将扩大和提高本科生，研究生，博士后学生和教师的培训和研究能力。 这些仪器的可用性将提高和加强生命科学家在艺术和科学，农业，人类生态学，兽医学院在堪萨斯州立大学，科学家在美国和世界各地的其他机构的研究计划。这些仪器的使用将使人们更好地了解基因产物的功能、脂类的作用以及动植物中蛋白质和脂类之间的相互作用。使质谱仪器可用于化学和生物学的基础研究，将导致在工业，医学和农业的实际应用。

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.