Thermo/Finnigan TSQ AM Triple Stage Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

描述(由申请人提供)：脂类是一种不同类别的疏水有机化合物，可以自结合形成细胞膜。除了这种重要的结构功能外，脂质还储存能量，是合成细胞内和细胞外信号分子的重要前体。脂类的系统水平分析的最新进展使质谱仪成为脂类分析的最先进的方法。我们广泛的长期目标是提供这些技术，以推进肯塔基大学十名高生产率研究人员的研究目标，他们都有兴趣确定脂质及其代谢物在包括癌症、炎症、肥胖、糖尿病和心血管疾病在内的生理和病理生理过程中的作用。具体目的是申请资金，以购买一台Thermo/Finnigan TSQ MS/MS高性能三级四极质谱计，安装在肯塔基大学的质谱学设施中。该仪器将用于检测、结构表征和最重要的是定量测定来自细胞临床和/或临床前来源的样品中的磷脂、鞘脂、脂肪酸(包括二十碳二烯)、异戊二烯和甾醇，并以前所未有的分辨率、精确度和灵敏度进行这项工作。肯塔基大学的这些研究人员目前没有合适的这种配置和所需灵敏度的仪器用于这一目的；可能用于其中一些分析的其他不同配置的仪器被大量用于其他目的。因此，这些调查人员被迫使用间接或不适当的方法来实现他们的研究目标，或者在与其他机构的调查人员合作的基础上使用适当的工具。收购这一仪器将使这组研究人员能够更有效地完成他们当前和未来的研究项目，以产生最佳的研究结果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Lipids are a diverse class of hydrophobic organic compounds that can self associate to form cellular membranes. In addition to this critical structural function, lipids store energy and are important precursors for the synthesis of intra- and extra- cellular signaling molecules. Recent advances in the systems-level analysis of lipids have established mass spectrometry as the state-of the-art approach for lipid analysis. Our broad long-term objective is to provide these technologies to advance the research goals of ten highly productive investigators at the University of Kentucky with a shared interest in defining roles of lipids and their metabolites in physiological and pathophysiological processes including cancer, inflammation, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The specific aim is to request funds to acquire a Thermo/Finnigan TSQ MS/MS high performance triple stage-quadrupole mass spectrometer to be housed in the University of Kentucky Mass Spectrometry Facility. This instrument will be used to detect, structurally characterize and, most importantly, quantitate phospholipids, sphingolipids, fatty acids (including eicosanoids) isoprenoids and sterols in samples derived from cellular clinical and/or preclinical sources and to do so with unprecedented resolution, precision and sensitivity. No suitable instrument of this configuration and with the required sensitivity is presently available to these investigators for this purpose at the University of Kentucky; other instruments of different configurations potentially available for some of these analyses are heavily used for other purposes. Consequently, these investigators are forced to use indirect or inadequate methodologies to accomplish their research goals or to use appropriate instrumentation on a collaborative basis with investigators at other institutions. Acquisition of this instrument would allow this group of investigators to complete their current and future research projects far more efficiently to generate optimal research outcomes.