The macromolecular X-ray crystallography group at UCSC has developed a proposal to acquire automated liquid handling robotics and an imaging microscope for crystallization screening. The robot and imaging system allow for high-throughput screening of macromolecular crystallization conditions, while reducing the amount of purified material required for these experiments. The instrumentation will permit our research groups to screen ranges of crystallization conditions that would be impractical using current manual methods. Specifically, we are requesting funds to purchase a TTP Labtech mosquito. crystallization robot and CrystalPro HT-80D microscope imaging system. Both instruments are robust and offer ease of use which make them ideally suited for operation in a multi-user facility. They will be housed in space that is adjacent to the current macromolecular X-ray facility. A PhD-level facility manger will maintain the equipment and train users. We have obtained institutional support from the Division of Physical and Biological Science (PBSci) at UCSC and the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3) in terms of contributing funds towards the salary of the facility manager. Furthermore, PBSci is providing space to house the equipment. The proposed instrumentation will greatly enhance the macromolecular X-ray crystallography facility at UCSC, enabling us to create a fully modern platform for carrying out structural analysis of biomolecules and to increase the accessibility of structural biology to the UCSC biomedical research community. ? ? ?
| Santos, Natalia; Zhu, Jianyu; Donohue, John Paul et al. (2013) Crystal structure of the 70S ribosome bound with the Q253P mutant form of release factor RF2. Structure 21:1258-63 |
