BIACORE 2000 SYSTEM

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The purpose of this proposal is to obtain a BIACOR 2000 to establish a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) facility at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The instrument will be shared by five Major Users and two Auxiliary Users in four Departments in the College of Medicine. There are already extensive interactions among these faculty, as they are members of interdepartmental programs in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathobiology and Signal Transduction. Four Resource Scientists (two internal, two external) will advise on critical issues of implementation, resource management, data analysis and interpretation, and interface with other biomolecular analytic techniques. Specific aims are: 1) To establish a Surface Plasmon Resonance Facility within the MUSC Biotechnology Resource Laboratory, and to ensure that instrument capability is well supported by data analysis and modeling capabilities; 2) To advance the application of mass spectrometry for analysis of the material bound to the sensor surface; 3) To use this facility to enhance the productivity of NIH- funded investigators and to improve the research efficiency and competitiveness of MUSC research faculty and trainees; 4) To use this facility to further enhance interdisciplinary work among the users. Acquisition of the BIAcore instrument addresses users' critical needs for biosensor technology to identify and characterize a wide range of biomolecular interactions in real-time. Projects to be supported by this instrument include extracellular matrix protein-protein interactions, retinoid protein-ligand interactions, lipid second messenger (ceramide) binding interactions, kinetics and specificity of GTP subunit interactions, Gbetagamma interactions with receptor subdomains, and imidazoline binding domains on MAO B. Auxiliary uses include determining RNA binding affinities and transcription factor interactions. The BIACORE 2000 will greatly augment more traditional thermodynamic and kinetic methods now employed to analyze biomolecular interactions. There is currently at MUSC no other means of analyzing the kinetics of molecular interactions with the accuracy and efficiency of the BIACORE 2000, or with as broad a temperature range. A detailed organizational plan, substantial institutional support, and a long-term plan for maintenance ensure the sustained viability of the facility. Its availability will provide unique opportunities for the development of powerful biophysical capabilities at our institution. It will serve as a platform for interdisciplinary investigation and training, and will significantly enhance the competitiveness of MUSC investigators.