A microscale thermophoresis instrument for characterizing molecular interactions

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Recently, microscale thermophoresis (MST) has emerged as a powerful technique that is used to characterize interactions between a variety of molecules such as proteins, DNA and lipids. MST relies on the phenomenon of thermophoresis, which is the movement of molecules when placed in a temperature gradient. There are several advantages that MST has over other biophysical techniques: i) It is extremely sensitive and requires very little sample; ii) Analysis can take place in complex buffers or samples such blood serum or cell lysate; iii) Data collection is simple, fast and takes place in disposable capillaries, eliminating contamination and allowing for efficient user training. This grant will provide ready access of a microscale thermophoresis (MST) instrument to the 7 NSERC-funded co-applicants and the ~43 highly qualified personnel in their research groups. The co-applicants study a wide range of biotechnical and biomedical problems and will be able to complete specific goals such as 1) characterize hydrophobin interactions with proteins and biomaterials, 2) determine the regulatory mechanisms of melanocyte development, 3) characterize the effect of molecular crowding on mandalate racemease inhibitors 4) investigate the involvement of KapB in the regulation of cytoplasmic processing bodies, 5) gain insight to how FAST proteins interact with cellular vesicles to induce membrane fusion, 6) develop inhibitors to bitter taste receptors, 7) study the interactions of modified p53 proteins with cellular binding partners, and 8) investigate how small molecules can influence metabolic pathways. No similar equipment is available to the applicants, making it essential to acquire a MST instrument to support the applicants’ research programs. The instrument will be located in the Dalhousie University Proteomics Core Facility, allowing for easy access of the instrument to other researchers in the Maritime region. A full time staff member will be responsible for the instrument and providing training to HQP interested in using it. This will allow trainees to learn to conduct MST experiments and interpret results, which will be a valuable skillset in their future careers.