CHED 939 |
| Assessing bee-to-bee variations in the protein composition is challenging due to limiting sample sizes and the unusual hydrophobicity and basicity of the major proteinaceous component, melittin. Published reports suggest that Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) can be used to quantify specific proteins in small aqueous samples (1). This study assesses SELDI-TOF MS using recyclable gold chips as an approach to quantify melittin in whole honey bee venom and in purified samples obtained by Sephadex® G-50 chromatography. Results show that the SELDI TOF MS has very limited reliability for quantifying melittin because of a sample saturation effect and within-sample signal variability found when spotting on gold chips. High-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) is a possible alternate quantitative approach being assessed by determining the melittin recoveries from selected columns. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Biochemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, March 26, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |