MRI Consortium: Acquisition of LC-MS/MS Instrumentation for Undergraduate Research and Education

鲍登学院的Elizabeth Stemmler教授和他的同事Patsy Dickinson， Dharni Vasudevan， Danielle Dube和Benjamin Gorske将获得一个具有串联功能的液相色谱-四极杆，质谱仪和各种配件。该提案将加强各级的研究培训和教育，特别是在以下领域：(a)使用转录组学和肽组学策略来鉴定神经肽并探索激素周期在甲壳类动物中不同神经调节反应中的作用，(b)细菌糖基化表征，(c)蛋白质甲基化研究，(d)表征对污染物环境降解具有重要意义的分子转化。(e)低聚硫胺合成和表征方法的发展。质谱仪（MS）是通过测量样品中分子组分电离后经质谱仪检测后的质量，来鉴定样品的化学成分。该仪器将高分辨率液相色谱系统与质谱的质量分析能力相结合。液相色谱仪将混合物分离成它们的分子成分。然后这些成分流入质谱仪，在质谱仪中测量它们的质量和碎片的质量。这种质谱仪有一个特殊的设计，提供相对较高的质量精度，灵敏度和分辨率，允许检测和确定复杂混合物中的分子结构。这些仪器不仅将用于研究，而且还将用于实验室课程，以训练大量学生使用这一重要的分析技术，并将用于与贝茨学院、科尔比学院和沙漠岛山生物实验室等区域机构的研究和推广活动。

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, Professor Elizabeth Stemmler from Bowdoin College and colleagues Patsy Dickinson, Dharni Vasudevan, Danielle Dube and Benjamin Gorske will acquire a liquid chromatograph-quadrupole, mass spectrometer with tandem capabilities and various accessories. The proposal will enhance research training and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) use of transcriptomics and peptidomics strategies to neuropeptide identification and to explore the role of hormonal cycles on differential neuromodulatory responses in crustaceans, (b) characterization of bacterial glycosylation, (c) studies of protein methylation, (d) characterization of transformations of molecules of importance to the environmental degradation of contaminants, and (e) development of methods to synthesize and characterize oligothioamides.Mass spectrometers (MS) are used to identify the chemical composition of a sample by measuring the mass of the molecular constituents in the sample after they are ionized and detected by the mass spectrometer. This instrument couples a high-resolution liquid chromatography system with the mass analysis ability of mass spectrometry. The liquid chromatograph separates mixtures into their molecular components. These components then flow into a mass spectrometer where their masses, and those of their fragments, are measured. This mass spectrometer has a special design that provides relatively high mass accuracy, sensitivity and resolution that allows detection and determination of the structure of molecules in a complex mixture. The instrumentation will be used not only for research but also in laboratory courses to train significant numbers of students in the use of this important analytical technique and for research and outreach activities with regional institutions such as Bates College, Colby College and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory.