Mass Spectrometry Facility

The MUSC Mass Spectrometry Facility provides expertise, services, education, and state-of-the-art instrumentation to enhance biomedical research endeavors through LC-MS/MS-based proteomics. Services are offered for protein identification; characterization of post-translational modifications; and quantitative proteomics to identify differentially expressed/degraded proteins, regulated sites of post-translational modification, protein-protein interactions, and protein targets of drugs identified in phenotypic screens. Analyses include sample preparation, LC-MS/MS, database searching, generation of reports, and assistance with data interpretation. Faculty and staff assist with experimental design and the development/optimization of customized methodology for analysis of post-translationally modified peptides (e.g. phosphorylation and O-GlcNAc modification, N- and O-linked glycosylation, Cys modifications including S-glutathionylation, and glycation of Lys and Arg). Quantitative approaches including metabolic labeling (SILAC), isobaric tagging (iTRAQ/TMT), and label free proteomics (LFQ) are performed on the Orbitrap Elite or Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Mass Spectrometers. We are developing methodology to identify alterations in post-translational modifications that impact signal transduction, transcription, translation, and the response to therapeutics with the goal of enabling investigators to discover molecular mechanisms underlying disease progression and therapeutic response.