- MALDI-TOF/TOF Autoflex III mass spectrometer (Bruker Daltonics).

- One- and two-dimensional electrophoresis equipment; IEF Multiphor II and Processor PLus equipment (GE Healthcare).

- Biocompatible FPLC (GE Healthcare) and high resolution HPLC chromatography equipment, with automatic refrigerated injector, DAD, fluorescence, UV visible and electrochemical detection module, fraction collector and thermostatizer.

- High quantitative resolution LC-MS system with ESI and APCI sources.

- GC-MS system for gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

- Ultracentrifuges.

- Scintillation counter.

SERVICE: DESCRIPTION

PROTEOMICS:

• Determination of molecular masses of drugs, small molecules, peptides and proteins: MALDI-TOF MS analysis.
• Protein identification: Digestion + MS analysis + database search. MS analysis by peptide fingerprinting or MS/MS (MALDI-TOF/TOF).
• Peptide quantification: MALDI-TOF MS analysis, ratio with internal standard, quantitative report.
• Immunoproteomics: Protein identification by MS combined with western blot 1D/2D
• 1D electrophoresis: 1D on SDS-PAGE minigel/gel
• IEF electrophoresis: 1D Electrophoresis on IEF strips
• 2D electrophoresis: 2D on SDS-PAGE minigel/gel (excluding staining and scanning)
• Staining: Coomassie, silver on minigel/gel
• Gel scanning: Odyssey or ChemiDoc scanning
• Labelling: Fluorescent probe labelling
• Differential proteomics: 2D-DIGE (includes 2D gel, labelling and scanning)
• Differential proteomics: Bioinformatics data analysis

STEROLS AND LIPOPROTEINS: 

• Sterol analysis: Analysis of sterols (cholesterol, desmosterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol, etc.) in plasma, tissues or cells. The study includes the extraction of saponifiable lipids and the separation of sterols by HPLC and quantification from specific absorbance.
• Cholesterol biosynthesis: Cholesterol biosynthesis (incorporation of radioactive acetate into the different sterols of the biosynthetic pathway). The study includes incubation of the cells in the presence of the tracer, extraction of the lipids, separation of the sterols by HPLC and quantification of their radioactivity.
• Ability to stimulate cellular export of cholesterol (CEC): Determination of the ability of plasma samples (total or without LpB) to stimulate the export of 3H-cholesterol incorporated into cultured cells.
• Human low-density lipoproteins (LDL) for research: Human low density lipoproteins (LDL) for research.  Isolated by ultracentrifugation and characterised.
• Acetylated low density lipoproteins (LDL) for research use: Human low density lipoproteins (LDL) for research. Isolated by ultracentrifugation, modified with acetic anhydride and characterised.
• DiI-labelled low density lipoproteins (LDL) for research use. Human LDL isolated by ultracentrifugation, labelled with DiI and characterised.

LIPIDOMICS:

• Basic lipid extraction (10 samples): Extraction with organic solvents to isolate lipids from the sample.
• Sphingolipid extraction (10 samples): Extended lipid extraction to extract the sphingolipids class
• Standard lipidomics (CE, TG, PE, PC, DG, LPC, LPE, SM) (10 samples): Analysis of molecular species belonging to the classes: cholesterol esters (CE), triglycerides (TG), diglycerides (DG), choline phospholipids (LPC, PC, SM), ethanolamine phospholipids (LPE, PE).
• Sphingolipid lipidomics (SM, Cer, dhCer, HexCer, LacCer, Sulf) (10 samples): Analysis of sphingolipid molecular species belonging to the classes: sphingomyelin (SM), Ceramides (Cer, dhCer), hexosylceramides (HexCer), Lactosylceramides (LacCer), sulphatides (Sulf).
• Lipidomics of acid phospholipids (PI,PS,CL,PG,BMP) (10 samples): Analysis of acid lipid molecular species: phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylglycerols (PG, BMP), cardiolipins (CL).
• Bioinformatics analysis (10 samples): Bioinformatics analysis includes: mass signal processing and filtering, peak integration, sample amount correction, correction for internal standard, quantitative report output, graphs and principal component analysis (PCA).