German government-funded research mainly involves analysis of the proteomes of Gram positive bacteria like Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus
A group of scientists at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University in Greifswald, Germany, has found an Applied Biosystems 4700 proteomic analyser with Tof/Tof optics and a Qstar XL hybrid LC/MS/MS system ideal tools to find out more about bacterial proteomes.
Knut Buettner, a research engineer at the Institute of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, explained: "Our research is government funded and mainly involves analysis of the proteomes of Gram positive bacteria like Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus.
"Part of this work is aimed at identifying different regulatory pathways and to do this we use mass spectrometry to examine the post-translational modifications of bacterial proteins.
"In quantitative terms, the 4700 analyser and the Qstar system are really good for peptide mass fingerprinting and tandem mass spectrometry.
"We have had problems in the past with low peak intensities and so have invested the time to find a solution.
"We looked at different manufacturers and eventually chose instruments from Applied Biosystems because they were more robust and accurate. "It was also important that the instruments we chose were highly sensitive because we use gels to isolate proteins and so only have small amounts of material to work with".
Knut concluded: "The instruments are very easy to use, which is important for us because we are biologists rather than physicists and cannot oversee all the tiny details of a mass spectrometer. "We have a good relationship with Applied Biosystems and are really satisfied with the service we have had."
