The Protein Sequence Research Group of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities said last week it is seeking scientists interested in using new technologies to sequence protein termini.
Until this year's ABRF annual conference, held in Memphis, Tenn., in February, the group had been called the Edman Sequencing Research Group but changed its name as the declining number of researchers using the technology made it difficult for it to recruit new members.
The name change is intended to attract new members who use new mass spec-based methods to sequence proteins, PSRG members said at ABRF. In its announcement last week, PSRG said that recent top-down proteomics methods such as MALDI ISD, T3 sequencing, and ETD/ECD "have shown great promise for determining the N- and C-terminal amino acid sequence of intact proteins." However, it added that the techniques "currently fall short in certain critical areas compared to automated Edman chemistry."
The group is now looking to sign up researches with a "keen interest" in new and not-so-new protein-sequencing technologies. Interested parties should contact Steve Smith at [email protected], Wendy Sandoval at [email protected], or Peter Hunziker at [email protected].
The group's duties include developing studies to assess "the current state of the art, compare techniques and instrumentation, or develop standards and protocols for the analysis of terminal amino acid sequences."
At ABRF, the group released preliminary findings from a study comparing various mass spec-based techniques with Edman sequencing [See PM 02/12/09]. A poster on the study can be found here.