Fast, automated, data dependent MS/MS analysis of protein digests and mixtures can be accomplished in a single experiment with this new system
Thermo Electron announces the new Finnigan vMaldi ion source to enhance the Finnigan LTQ linear ion trap mass spectrometer for accelerated proteomics research.
This new, integrated system combines the speed of Maldi with the sensitivity of the Finnigan LTQ to create Sequest-searchable MS/MS spectra for unambiguous protein assignments.
This new capability was be demonstrated for the first time at the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) annual meeting held in Portland, Oregon, last week.
It will also be shown on booth 1475 at Pittcon, Chicago, 8-11 March 2004.
Fast, automated, data dependent MS/MS analysis of protein digests and mixtures can be accomplished in a single experiment with this new system.
Ions that are present in the MS spectrum are selected and fragmented by MS/MS, to expose their internal structure.
In contrast to Maldi-Tof, the vMaldi ion source for the Finnigan LTQ uses these MS/MS spectra as the basis for protein identification.
As such, the system is easily able to analyse digests of protein mixtures that will confound Maldi-Tof analyses.
While LC/MS analysis times are typically 30 to 60 minutes, using the Finnigan LTQ with the vMaldi ion source generally requires less than a minute per sample.
The gains in productivity are considerable, enabling high throughput protein identification.
The Finnigan vMaldi ion source truly harnesses the capabilities of the linear ion trap for protein analysis.
It accepts 96- and 384-position sample plates and is fully integrated with the Xcalibur data system.
It allows completely automated analysis, using the crystal positioning system (CPS) to determine an optimised sampling pattern, automatic spectral filtering (ASF) to assess real-time data quality, and automatic gain control (AGC) to determine the optimum number of laser shots to fill the linear ion trap, assuring excellent data quality and unrivalled sensitivity.
