Development of a Bili-Microchip-Analyzer: Shipboard Determination of Phycobiliproteins in Ocean Water Samples

University Of Virginia Main Campus, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

This ocean science technology development project will provide oceanographers with a shipboard instrument capable of separating and quantifying phycobiliproteins in seawater. No routine method currently exists for separating phycobiliproteins, despite the fact that they are diagnostic pigments for important phytoplankton groups. By combining expertise from various fields, the investigators plan to use capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection to facilitate the determination of phycobiliproteins. By transposing conventional CE-LIF methods to a task-specific, monolithic microchip platform, and by incorporating acousto-optical deflection (AOD) for self-alignment of the laser in the detection scheme, the project will address difficulties that would otherwise be encountered by a shipboard phycobiliprotein measurement system. The specific goals of the project include (1) optimization of conditions necessary for the separation and enumeration of individual phycobiliproteins in a mixture, along with optimal extraction procedures for these pigments from picophytoplankton; (2) design and construction of a micro-chip CE-LIF system with AOD-based laser beam scanning for self-aligning detection; and (3) employment of the micro-chip system developed on cruises to determine phycobiliproteins in natural water samples in "real time," and to compare these results with those of subsequent laboratory-based analyses to determine the effects of seawater sample storage and transport. Fulfillment of these goals will provide the oceanographic community with a robust, multidisciplinary tool capable of determining distributions and concentrations of various phytoplankton derived pigments like phycobiliproteins, which will facilitate studies of global primary production and carbon biomass.