Proteomics Sample Submission

Please complete and print out the sample submission form and include with shipment.

Please read! Keratin contamination can be extremely detrimental to mass spectrometry analysis of your protein. Keratin can be found in circulating lab air in the form of skin flakes and hair (i.e. dust). Therefore, when preparing your samples for submission take extra care to work in a clean area, wear gloves at all times, and keep all materials (including gel apparatus, buffers, tubes, etc.) covered and free of dust.

Gel Bands For Digestion and Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Cut out bands as tightly as possible to minimize excess gel material. Chop band into ~1mm² pieces and place in a clearly marked eppendorf tube. Coomassie and Sypro Ruby stained gels are best stored dehydrated or in de-staining buffer. Special care should be taken in the processing of silver stained gels (view our processing of silver stained gels PDF). Bands should be stored dehydrated or in 1% acetic acid.

For more information please view our in-gel digestion protocol.

Complex Samples For Digestion and Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Samples may be submitted dry or in solution. If submitting samples dry, please indicate the estimated amount of total protein by weight. If submitting samples in solution, please indicate the solvent/buffer and the total protein concentration.

For more information please view our in-solution digestion protocol.

Direct Mass Spectrometry Analysis

This applies to samples such as: intact proteins, polymers, lipids or carbohydrates. Samples may be submitted dry or in solution. If submitting a dry sample, be sure to specify solubility. The optimal solvent is water or 50% acetonitrile. MALDI-MS can tolerate low levels of salts (~10 mM) and detergents (~0.01%). Please contact us prior to sample shipment if you have concerns about your solvent matrix. Approximately 1 pmol of sample is needed for analysis. For best results, we suggest that you submit at least 5-10 µl of a 1-5 µM solution.

N-Terminal Sequencing

Pure proteins can be submitted dry or in aqueous solution. Salts and detergents will not interfere with the N-terminal sequencing. Otherwise, the best sample preparation is gel separation, electroblotting onto PVDF and staining with Coomassie Blue. Minimum recommended sample amount is 10 pmol.

Shipping

Samples should be shipped via Fedex to the following address:

Proteomics and Metabolomics Facility
1300 Centre Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80521

Please contact Corey Broeckling or Mam Scherman for further information.