Wednesday, 8 December 2004
14:00 - 14:30

High Performance In-Gel Digestion of Proteins: Sensitive and Robust Sample Preparation for MALDI-TOF MS and LC MS Using a Novel Type of Microplates

Roland Durner, Tecan Switzerland AG, Maennedorf, Switzerland

The enzymatic digestion of proteins in gels is a standard procedure in the field of Proteomics. As simple as the process may seem at a first glance, only a skilled person with long experience can process samples in a consistent and contamination-free manner, especially at low protein levels. The alternative is to automate the process. However, available systems so far have not fulfilled user expectations. Often, gel pieces were lost during the process. Most systems could only process a very narrow range of gel piece sizes. In many cases the robustness of the process relied on consumables not manufactured for automation.
The Pro Team Advanced Digest system addresses the above issues and represents an environment in which fully automated in-gel digestion of proteins can be performed using a large range of validated protocols. It consists not only of a liquid handling platform but integrates also new consumables designed specifically to meet the criteria of automation.
User friendliness of this versatile system is assured by the Pro Team Studio software, a new user interface which includes experiment setup, sample tracking and report generation.
The system is based on the TecPro96(TM) plate. The TecPro96(TM) plate allows users to handle a large range of gel piece sizes, ranging from standard sizes provided by spot cutting devices to whole 1D gel bands. Liquid is efficiently removed by means of vacuum through a small capillary in the bottom of each well eliminating losses of gel pieces. Sample clean-up and concentration are either carried out using SPE disposable tips or the ZipPlate(TM) from Millipore.