New Products - American Chemical Society

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product notes

Software. Improved MassLynx 4.1 soft-

Filtration. Harvard Apparatus’s 96- and

ware for Waters mass spectrometers is now reconfigured for high-performance quantitative and qualitative analyses. The software includes new features, such as a new administrator tool kit that allows system administrators to manage applications from a remote computer and programs to help users monitor sample and instrument status information for more efficient workflows. Multiple researchers can now access data and results with the software. In addition, the software includes support for optimization of instrument resolution and sensitivity and integrates with the NuGenesis Scientific Data Management System.

384-well filter plates can be used to concentrate, purify, and desalt proteins, peptides, DNA, and RNA. Researchers can also recover proteins, oligos, and RNA from polyacrylamide gels with the filter plates. A special sealing process guarantees that samples will not leak from one well to another. The individual sample wells have separate single- or dualfilter membranes. Sample volumes can range from 50 μL to 5 mL. All filter plates are composed of polypropylene and fit in standard robotic systems.

Waters

has protocols for protein transfer, visualization, and immunodetection. The handbook also features a troubleshooting section and >30 photographs of actual blots. Several innovative techniques, such as a rapid immunodetection method and a double-blot method, are also ­i ncluded.

www.waters.com

Magnetic beads. Talon magnetic beads can be used for purifying proteins at the microscale. The beads are precharged with Co2+ and are more specific for polyhistidine-tagged proteins than nickel resins. Magnetic particles on the beads allow the user to separate small quantities of proteins in a magnetic separator. The beads can bind 750 μg of protein/mL of suspension. Clontech

www.clontech.com

Flow cytometry. The Cell Lab Quanta SC provides accurate, multiparameter cell counting and sizing for drug discovery and basic clinical research. Side light-scatter detection and a third fluorescence channel are combined to let researchers measure cellular granularity for three-color applications. As many as five parameters can be studied with the new instrument. The multiple excitation wavelengths allow flexibility for multicolor analyses. Many cell types, such as mammalian and yeast, can be analyzed with the Quanta SC for cell-cycle, apoptosis, and immunophenotyping ­applications. Beckman

www.beckmancoulter.com

Microscopy. The BC series upright compound microscope provides enhanced stability and has ergonomic single-hand focus and stage controls that reduce fatigue. The microscope includes a 20-W, 6V halogen bulb with a dimmer. Binocular and trinocular models are available. Jenco International www.jencointernational.com

endogenous controls panel. The human G-protein-coupled receptors and human protein kinase panels are important tools for drug target screening and pharmacogenomics research studies. The mouse immune panel contains genes known for their involvement in inflammation, cancer, and cell proliferation, making it a significant tool for disease association studies. The human endogenous controls panel allows researchers an easy way to select the most appropriate controls for experiments. Applied Biosystems www.appliedbiosystems.com

Harvard Apparatus www.harvardapparatus.com

Proteins. The Protein Blotting Handbook

Millipore

www.millipore.com

PCR. In-Fusion PCR cloning kits enable researchers to conveniently insert a PCRamplified piece of DNA into any cloning vector in a 30-min reaction. The kits are compatible with several experimental setups so that researchers can optimize their PCR cloning by changing vector systems, reaction numbers, or automation options. Kits are available in lyophilized and liquid formats. Both formats provide equivalent cloning efficiencies and have been tested with vectors of up to 12 kb and inserts of up to 8 kb. Directional cloning can be accomplished without the need for blunt-end polishing, the use of ligase, or the digesting of the insert with a restriction enzyme. Clontech

www.clontech.com

Arrays. Four new gene signature panels are introduced as part of the TaqMan Low Density Array (TLDA) product line for real-time PCR applications. The TLDA products are 384-well microfluidic cards designed for analyzing gene expression patterns in many samples across a defined set of gene targets. The new arrays include the human G-protein-coupled receptors panel, human protein kinase panel, mouse immune panel, and human

472 Journal of Proteome Research • Vol. 5, No. 3, 2006

Electroporators. The Cellaxess CX1 is a micromanipulator-based system for precise targeting of distinct areas directly in cell culture dishes. It installs on inverted microscopes and enables instant readout after electroporation. The Cellaxess CX3 is a parallel 3-channel system designed for electroporation in 96-well plates, 35-mm cell culture dishes, or larger containers. Both systems are specifically designed for direct transfection of adherent cell cultures and are suitable for both hard-totransfect cells, such as primary and stem cells, and traditional immortalized cell lines. Experimental operations are kept to a minimum—suspension steps, transfer to special electroporation cuvettes, or re-culturing after electroporation are not required. The Cellaxess systems are easy to implement and provide a high degree of experimental control. Cellectricon

www.esainc.com

HPLC detector. Charged Aerosol Detection (CAD) is a significant new universal detection option for HPLC. With CAD, the HPLC column eluent is first nebulized with nitrogen and the droplets are dried to remove mobile phase, thereby producing analyte particles. A secondary stream of nitrogen becomes positively charged as it passes a high-voltage, platinum corona wire. This charge transfers to the opposing stream of analyte particles. The charge is transferred to a collector, where it is measured by a highly sensitive electrometer. This generates a signal in direct proportion to the quantity of analyte present. CAD is applicable for virtually any nonvolatile or semivolatile compound. ESA Bioscience

www.esainc.com

© 2006 American Chemical Society