Due to its importance in scientific research and in the quality control of synthetic peptides and/or recombinant proteins, the structural analysis of peptides and proteins constitutes one of the most relevant topics in biotechnology. We offer a wide range of advanced technical services which are very important for the structural characterization and development of bio-molecules, such as peptides and proteins. These services are based on the integration of classical biochemical techniques, such as N-terminal protein sequencing, with advanced mass spectrometry procedures.
The sequence of the first 10-20 residues at the N-terminal of a protein gives sufficient information to allow the following:
- assigning the site of proteolytic maturation
- synthesizing oligonucleotide probes for specific cDNA isolation
- identifying the protein in databases
- aligning the protein against DNA sequences
- assessing the purity of the peptide/protein
Additionally, the determination of the accurate molecular weight of a peptide or a protein gives the following analytical information:
- definition of the purity of the peptide/protein
- quality control for peptide synthesis
- confirmation of the protein sequence
- control of the structure of recombinant proteins
- characterization of genetic variants or mutant proteins in which there is an amino acid substitution or modification
- definition of the proteolytic processing of the protein, both at the N- and C-termini
- identification of post-translational maturation events or chemically induced changes
- identification of the glycosylation pattern of glycoproteins.