Automated Detection of Protein Dynamics

A novel automated approach to detect protein dynamics using XFMS

Presenter: Matthew Rosi

Presenter Status: Graduate student

Department: Engineering

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1A0NgXFmzyDGNYQXN5l954Mb7sStnfg6c

Abstract:
Presented in this research is the development of significant new technology for the method of X-ray footprinting mass spectrometry (XFMS), which is a unique method to characterize protein dynamics by in-situ hydrolytic labeling. With the growing interest in the study of various functional states of complex macromolecular assemblies in near-physiological conditions, there is now a critical need for the technological development of solution-state investigative techniques. Unlike previous techniques that utilize an encapsulated delivery method, the implementation features a high-speed liquid jet delivery system that eliminates unwanted secondary interactions and is shown to increase labeling by 10-fold. The main contributions of this work include (1) the design of an accurate automated interface allowing for single-digit us exposure and ul sample size, and (2) an automated technique to ensure precision alignment of the liquid sample jet and the X-ray source within 170 um.