PROTEIN AND NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION/QUANTITATION SYSTEM

University Of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This application request funds for the purchase of a quantitative imaging system for UCLA, with the goal of advancing our current capabilities for protein and nucleic acid detection and quantitation. The following instrumentation is requested: 1) an imaging system for direct nuclear counting ( electronic autoradiography) so that 3H, 32P, and 35S-labeled protein and nucleic acid blots can be visualized quickly and quantitatively. 2) a multivariable imaging system for fluorescence, filmless autoradiography and chemilumincesnce (fluoimager/phosphorimager) so that experiments which take advantage of fluorescent sensitivity can be undertaken. This equipment is necessary for the NIH-funded users listed herein to answer questions at the proteomic genomic level and will be housed in the existing instrumentation facility for the Biochemistry Division in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA. This equipment is needed because 1. only film developer is available which is shared by two buildings(approximately 30 groups), 2. A direct imaging system is not conveniently available, and 3. The present phosphorimager does not have fluorescence capabilities. A plan foe making the instrumentation available to the large community of researchers in the biomedical sciences at UCLA is in place and resources for its long-term operation and maintenance are guaranteed. Further, UCLA already is developing a leading program in bioinformatics and proteomics. The user include a large group of active investigators, all of whom are engaged in research efforts on health-related, NIH-funded projects representing studies on fundamental aspects of biochemistrry, molecular, cell and developmental biology. By enhancing the effectiveness of the research efforts of these individual projects, this application users will find this instrumentation valuable for their research.