The Proteomics Core Facility began operation in 1998 and was one of the first laboratories in the nation equipped for high-throughput proteomic analysis based on laboratory automation.  The Core is directed by Dr. Jon Klein, who is also a member of the Internal Advisory Board of the MT-COBRE.  He is assisted by two laboratory personnel who have had several years experience in this area.  Dr. Klein is available to all MT-COBRE investigators on a collaborative or consultative basis.  The excellence of this laboratory is attested by the fact that it is used as a ‘beta testing’ site for a number of companies making proteomics-associated products.  The Core Proteomics Laboratoryis uniquely equipped with robotic workstations that increase gel throughput, image analysis, spot excision, in-gel peptide digestion, and MALDI-MS sample preparation.  The automated workstations include a Propic gel spot picker that visualizes and excises spots from fluorescence-stained gels and a ProGest station that automates in-gel trypsin digestion in a 96- or 384-well format.  The laboratory also contains a ProMS robot that automates the desalting, concentrating and spotting of peptide samples onto MALDI targets (Genomics Solutions, Inc.) thereby allowing fully integrated high-throughput analysis of protein samples.  MALDI-MS analysis is performed using a Micromass, Inc. TOF-Spec 2E.  Recently, the laboratory instituted automated analysis of high-resolution two-dimensional gels using Progenesis software from Nonlinear Dynamics, Inc.  The Progenesis software significantly decreases analysis time of two-dimensional gels, thereby accelerating throughput.  The Proteomics Core Facility plays an important role in several of the MT-COBRE projects, particularly in looking at downstream effects of target inhibition.