SC COBRE: PROTEIN SCIENCE CORE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The Protein Bioscience Core was created to assist COBRE lipidomics investigators in studying structures and functions of proteins involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism and signaling. Over the years, the Core has transitioned itself from a strictly consultation role to a more active role in servicing investigators in various aspects of protein science. This mainly included the generic service of expressing and purifying recombinant proteins from E. coli cultures. In addition, instruments such as dynamic light scattering and circular dichroism spectrometers were made available to researchers, together with in-depth tutoring, for the characterization of the physical properties of proteins. Recently, the Core started to offer more specialized services, including generation of stable mammalian cell lines expressing protein of interest, antibody design and purification, immunoprecipitation, protein crystal screening, peptide synthesis, protein modification, HPLC-based assays, and fat Western blotting. Because of the variety of services provided by the Protein Bioscience Core and the strong technical supporting base, they allow researchers who are not familiar with protein science, but are interested in studying protein structures and functions, to perform their experiments with greater ease. The aims of the Core are: 1) To produce proteins of interest for individual investigators that are needed for structural and functional characterization; 2) To offer a variety of protein-related specialty services to suit the needs of investigators; and 3) to enhance the understanding and capability of investigators in protein science through mentoring and consultation. Taken together, these aims should contribute to the scientific achievement of the targeted COBRE investigators.