This proposal requests funds for the purchase of a PE Biosystems Voyager-DE STR MALDI/TOF Mass Spectrometer and Data System. This high resolution instrument is equipped with a reflectron analyzer and is capable of accurate mass analysis of molecular ions and fragment ions forms through post source decay. It will be located in the SUNY- Stony Brook Mass Spectrometer Facility and will significantly promote the research objectives and laboratory productivity of fourteen distinguished scientists from SUNY-Stony Brook and Brookhaven National Laboratory who comprise the major users group. The mass spectrometer system will make directly available to these investigators important new techniques for the analysis of biomolecules which are presently unavailable locally and inaccessible or difficult to obtain from other organizations. MALDI/TOF is unsurpassed for the structural analysis of molecules with critical biomedical consequences, including biopolymers such as proteins, oligonucleotides, and oligosaccharides and a diverse group of compounds that are non-volatile, labile, or thermally unstable. Accurate mass analysis of protein molecular ions and determination of proteolytic fragments from proteins will be employed to identify proteins by automated computer searching internet-based databanks. Negative ion detection for oligodeoxynucleotides, modified oligomers, and DNA-protein complexes will be essential for several investigators. Automated sample analysis from large multi-well plates will ensure high throughput and optimal utilization of the instrument. The instrument will be operated and maintained by trained personnel at the USB Mass Spectrometer Facility, and the Director will schedule daily operation and provide technical expertise for the users. An advisory committee will ensure access to the major users and other PHS- supported investigators and will be responsible for the long term operation of the instrument. The Stony Brook administration has made a significant contribution toward the purchase of the instrument and to the installation and operation over its expected lifetime.
