Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource

MASS SPECTROMETRY SHARED RESOURCE – PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource is a specialized facility with the primary goal of providing CSHL Cancer Center members with support for proteomic and metabolomic studies. The Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource is housed within the Keck Structural Biology lab on the ground floor of the Beckman building. Led by Faculty Head Darryl Pappin Ph.D., the Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource provides Cancer Center members with access to up-to-date mass spectrometry instrumentation and specialized technical expertise. Services used by the majority of Cancer Center members include protein and protein complex identification, characterization of protein post-translational modifications, quantitative targeted MRM and PRM assays, and quantitative whole- proteome screens using 2D LCMS with iTRAQ/TMT, SILAC or label-free methods. For Metabolomics, the Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource provides targeted and untargeted analyses for a diverse range of compound classes. More specialized services have undertaken quantitative phosphoproteomics and cysteine proteomics screens, lipid and carbohydrate analyses, metabolomics profiling, stable isotope tracing and specific MRM or PRM assays of drugs and other small molecule metabolites. The Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource performs all the data analysis for the quantitative screens and has developed new tools for the merging of large datasets across multiple, independent experiments. All of these services are highly technical and labor intensive. Without the Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource, it would be extremely difficult for individual investigators to have access to this type of instrumentation and analyses and these types of services, which are often critical to their research programs. In the last funding period the Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource has purchased four new mass spectrometers (a Lumos and QEHF in 2016, and an ID-X and Exploris 480 in 2020), updated all the LCs to ultra-high pressure systems (UHPLC), upgraded the main computer server to a 64-Core, 128-thread system, and added a variety of devices to aid in sample preparation (CryoMill). Over the past five years, the Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource was utilized by 20 Cancer Center members (53% of members), accounting for a majority of its use. This Resource contributed to 33 publications or preprints by Cancer Center members over this time period. In summary, the Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource provides the users with state-of-the-art instrumentation and advanced technical support to help accelerate cancer research at CSHL.