This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Funding was provided to acquire a Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Tandem Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (MALDI TOF/TOF MS) equipped with a LC-MALDI spotting system for general user access for research, education, and training. The instrument supports multiple disciplines and will be applied to a wide range of materials including biomolecules (proteins, peptides, carbohydrates, oligonucleotides, lipids), large organic molecules (synthetic polymers) and inorganic materials (nanoparticles). The main research efforts involve the adaptation of tandem MALDI MS analyses to a number of research projects including the characterization of nucleic acid radical precursors and the resultant DNA and RNA damage products; the facile and high-throughput sequencing of hemoglobin and vertebrate band 3 protein; to enhance the knowledge of crystallographic methods for metalloprotein structural analyses by evaluating the radiation-induced degradative effects of X-rays on various metalloprotein crystals; to develop techniques/methodologies for applying MALDI MS to imaging of single cells; to facilitate of analyses of macromolecular assemblies associated with DNA replication and repair; and for the detailed characterization of the structure of lignocellulosic materials, which is unattainable by other analytical means. These projects will foster collaboration with the surrounding scientific community. Details of outcomes of all projects will be available through University of Toledo webpages for each PI/Co-PI, and in peer-reviewed journals.
