The department of biochemistry, physiology and microbiology at Ghent University in Belgium uses a proteomics analyser for a wide range of projects
The department of biochemistry, physiology and microbiology at Ghent University in Belgium uses an Applied Biosystems 4700 proteomics analyser with Tof/Tof optics and a Q Trap LC/MS/MS system for a wide range of projects.
Professor Jos Van Beeumen, head of the department and of the laboratory of protein biochemistry and protein engineering, explained: "We are studying the relationship between the primary and tertiary structure and the function of various proteins.
"This covers several areas of research including the enzymes produced by extremophiles, the proteins involved in bioremediation and the molecular characterisation of photoactive proteins.
"We have a very long standing relationship with Applied Biosystems and we chose the 4700 proteomics analyser after a number of comparative studies.
"For our purposes, and given the instruments we already had available, we thought that Tof/Tof technology was the way to progress.
"It enables us to study fragmentation patterns and so perform peptide sequencing.
"The Q Trap system is used for a number of different purposes, including detecting glycosylated peptides to determine the effect of the glycosylation pattern on the protein structure and function".
Professor Bart Devreese added: "We are very happy with the 4700 proteomics analyser in particular with the speed of analysis and data collection and the quality of the data.
"One of the great features of the instrument is the high-speed laser which allows a high sample throughput.
"The technology is new and we are still discovering new facets about the instrument."
