Protein
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Protein Core Facility provides a variety of complementary techniques that enable researchers to produce and characterize proteins, investigate protein-protein interactions, and characterize whole proteomes. The core facility is located in the 806 Abramson Research Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. It features protein expression and purification, protein characterization, protein-protein interactions, and proteomics approaches.
Some services are provided on a user-operated, sign-up basis, while others are performed as full-service by the dedicated facility personnel. Protein expression services include recombinant protein production in both bacteria and insect cells. HPLC and FPLC equipment, columns and resins are available for a variety of purification needs. Endogenous fluorescence, circular dichroism, analytical ultracentrifugation, and surface plasmon resonance can be used to characterize the folding status of proteins and their interactions with small molecules and other proteins. Biomarker discovery in various biofluids can be undertaken with the SELDI mass spectrometer along with our other research grade mass spectrometry equipment.
A wide range of proteomics experiments are possible. These include but are not limited to: intact mass determination, post-translational modification analysis, protein identification, targeted (e.g., co-immunoprecipitation) or comprehensive (e.g., protein expression profiling) proteome analysis. Proteome analysis may employ a number of different isotope-labeling strategies. Workflows for these experiments are unique to each project and can involve a range of multi-dimensional separation techniques coupled to the appropriate MALDI or ESI mass spectrometers in the lab.
Additional information can be found on the Protein Core web site.