Re: FW: AAA

Frank_Masiarz@cc.chiron.com
Mon, 2 Nov 1998 16:09:20 -0800


Hi...........

My opinion:

AAA will always be important to confirm the amount of protein or
peptide in a sample. It may not be a major source of revenue, but may
be important in the resolution of arguments concerning lack of results
involving viable services....in other words, good for "internal
insurance" against over-optimistic sample quantity estimations.

The Beckman 6300 works very well but is reaching obsolescence, while
other ion-exchange instruments are available (Pharmacia in Europe).
The Waters Accq-Tag HPLC method is very simple and very sensitive
(fluorescence). The major benefit of ion-exchange/ninhydrin systems
is the tolerance to salt and detergents. However, samples can be
"cleaned up" for the less robust chemistries from Waters Corporation.

The ABI 420 was more trouble than the automation was worth, but the
Pico-Tag chemistry (UV) is very reproducible, with tight controls, in
manual operation.

Mass spectrometry can only provide a number, without any chemical
"character", and MS/MS at low energy will not differentiate Leu from
Ile. Depends on what your customer wants to know !!!

Best to maintain as many "weapons" as possible in the fight for
protein and peptide identification and characterization.

Frank R. Masiarz
Director
Protein Structure Analysis Group

Chiron Corporation

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: FW: AAA
Author: "Everson; Anita [PRI]" <AEverson@prius.jnj.com> at SMTP
Date: 11/2/98 5:23 PM

We are on the verge of dropping AAA as a service we offer. We have a
Beckman 6300 which is getting old, and with Beckman no longer making them,
it makes you wonder how long they will continue to support them. Because of
the down time of the instrument, the length of time it takes to get a AAA
result from an increasingly finicky machine and the ease of getting a mass
spec or MS/MS result, we soon will no longer offer AAA.

Anita Everson
Peptide Lab
RW Johnson PRI, La Jolla CA
aeverson@prius.jnj.com

> ----------
> From: bch143@abdn.ac.uk[SMTP:bch143@abdn.ac.uk]
> Sent: Monday, November 02, 1998 8:55 AM
> To: Recipients of ABRF List
> Subject: AAA
>
> Hello folks,
> we are in the process of applying for funds to allow us to
> upgrade at
> least one of our two 477's with a Procise. We also have a 420A AAA (no
> longer
> available) and we are wondering about the direction to go as regards this
> instrument. How many of you guys still feel a need for keeping your AAA's
> going?
> I heard a rumour that there quite a few 420A's and other insruments
> mothballed out
> there.
> Grateful for any input.
> Regards,
> Bryan.
> --
> Bryan Dunbar
> Protein Facility
> Dept. of Molecular & Cell Biology
> University of Aberdeen
> Polwarth Building
> Foresterhill
> Aberdeen
> AB25 2ZD
> Tel:- +44 (0)1224 273103
> Fax:- +44 (0)1224 273104
> e-mail:- b.dunbar@abdn.ac.uk
>