Advanced protein purification facility

如果DNA被认为是“生命的蓝图”，那么蛋白质，即DNA中编码的基因的产物，就是生命的动力。从病毒到人类，绝大多数支持生物体生命的分子活动都涉及蛋白质的功能。因此，特别是在后基因组时代，研究蛋白质结构和功能的能力至关重要。事实上，分子生物学、生物化学和结构工具的发展，从基因组中推定基因的鉴定到确定编码蛋白质功能的分子细节，不仅改变了我们对生命的理解，而且使我们能够利用蛋白质作为生物技术工具来改善人类的生活。* Boraston，Boulanger和Burke的NSERC资助的研究项目是多样化的，涵盖了蛋白质和碳水化合物的研究，涉及生物质周转，细胞信号传导和蛋白质工程。从长远来看，我们预计我们的研究成果将包括对基本生物过程的新见解;产生可持续生物产品的新方法;以及治疗细菌，病毒和寄生虫感染的新技术，所有这些都通过改善健康或环境为加拿大人提供潜在利益。我们研究项目的核心是能够以纯净的形式分离蛋白质和碳水化合物，这需要专门的仪器。为此，我们的实验室正在申请资金，用于两个液相色谱系统，以纯化蛋白质和其他大分子。这两种新仪器将取代三种旧的、破损的和过时的仪器，这些仪器曾经是大分子结构和功能研究设施的关键核心，因为它们对于获得用于分析的纯样品至关重要。获得这两种替代仪器对于恢复我们NSERC资助的研究项目的密集性质并使我们的研究能够揭示生物过程的分子细节至关重要。 *****

If DNA is considered “the blueprint of life” then proteins, which are the products of the genes encoded in DNA, are the engines that power life. The vast majority of molecular events that support organismal life, from viruses to man, involve the functions of proteins. Therefore, and especially in the post-genomic era, the capacity to study protein structure and function is of fundamental importance. Indeed, the development of molecular biological, biochemical, and structural tools to go from identification of a putative gene in a genome to determining the molecular details of how the encoded protein functions has not only transformed our understanding of life but has enabled us to harness the use of proteins as, for example, biotechnological tools to improve the lives of humans. *** The NSERC-funded research programs of Boraston, Boulanger, and Burke are diverse and span the study of proteins and carbohydrates involved biomass turnover, cellular signalling, and protein engineering. In the long term, we anticipate that the outcomes of our research will include novel insights into basic biological processes; new approaches to generating sustainable bioproducts; and new technologies to treat bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections, all of which provide potential benefits to Canadians by either improving their health or their environment.*** Central to our research programs is the ability to isolate proteins and carbohydrates in pure form, and this requires specialized instrumentation. To this end, our laboratories are requesting funds for two liquid chromatography systems to purify proteins and other macromolecules. These two new instruments will replace three old, broken, and obsolete instruments, which were once the key centerpieces of a facility for macromolecule structural and functional studies because they were critical for obtaining pure samples for analysis. Obtaining the two replacement instruments is essential to restoring the intensive nature of our NSERC-funded research programs and enabling our studies aimed at uncovering the molecular details of biological processes. *****