IPiB

Our Research Facilities

 

Modern biochemical research depends heavily on instrumentation and other supporting facilities. Individual laboratories in the Department are well equipped with instrumentation necessary to achieve the goals of the lab. In addition, there are many pieces of shared equipment in the Department. The Department and the campus have a commitment to maintaining the most modern equipment for biochemical research, and both departmental and campus funds along with federal grant funds are used to maintain and upgrade the instruments available for research.

 

National Magnetic Resonance Facility (NMRFAM) is an NIH-funded, shared instrumentation laboratory located in the Biochemistry Department and directed by Professor John Markley. NMRFAM contains nine modern multinuclear NMR spectrometers with field strengths between 400 MHz and 900 MHz equipped for the most demanding multidimensional, multinuclear spectroscopic applications. Cryogenically cooled probes are installed on five of the instruments. Both Bruker and Varian spectrometers are available. Projects focus on structural determinations and development of methods. NMRFAM staff members carry out core research projects and make available to service and collaborative users the techniques and technology developed through these projects.

 

The Biophysics Instrumentation Facility (BIF) houses the following equipment: an isothermal titration calorimeter, differential scanning calorimeter, analytical ultracentrifuge, circular dichroism spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and surface plasmon resonance detector. This ensemble of instruments enables thorough characterization of conformation, structure, and complexation. These interrelated properties are the basis for biological function. The facility is directed by Professor Ron Raines and is supervised by an Instrumentation Specialist who helps students perform their experiments. Also found in laboratories of the Department are state-of-the-art equipment for mass spectrometry, electron paramagnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence spectroscopy and anisotropy, fluorescence activated cell sorting, phosphorimaging, microcalorimetry, electron microscopy and chromatography.

 

The Center for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics (CESG) is a collaborative effort to elucidate the three-dimensional structure of many of the proteins encoded by the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. Starting with characterized cDNA clones, recombinant protein is produced and subsequently purified. The three dimensional structure of the proteins is then determined via either X-ray crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). All solved structures will be promptly placed in public databases including the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and BioMagResBank (BMRB).

 

Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank (BMRB)
BMRB’s mission is to collect, archive, and disseminate (worldwide in the public domain) the important quantitative data derived from NMR spectroscopic investigations of biological macromolecules. Relevant data are deposited by the scientists who generate them, and in consultation with these scientists, BMRB resolves any problems with the self-consistency and completeness of the deposition. In collaboration with the Protein Data Bank, BMRB provides links between the spectral data and associated atomic coordinates. BMRB works with the user community to develop formats for these data that can be parsed by computers and used for knowledge generation, alone and in conjunction with information from other databases. BMRB’s goal is to empower scientists in their analysis of the structure, dynamics, and chemistry of biological systems and to support further development of the field of biomolecular NMR spectroscopy. Through international collaborations and mirror sites, BMRB endeavors to involve the participation of a wider group of scientists and to enhance its services worldwide.

 

The University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center (UWBC), located at 425 Henry Mall, offers state-of-the-art research services at competitive user fees to UW-Madison scientists. The services can increase the quality and quantity of your biological science research and enhance your competitiveness for federal grant support. These services include: DNA synthesis and sequencing, peptide synthesis, peptide sequencing and mass spectrometry of phosphopeptides and small metabolites, plant biotechnology, production of transgenic/knockout mice and rats, education programs and multimedia technology resources. Most of our services are also available to state, regional, national and international researchers.

 

 

Support Facilities

 

Information Technology
The Information Technology (IT) Group supports all of the computing facilities and equipment in the department. Members of the Department have access to the latest in research computing technologies, including an advanced computer network which links to cutting-edge campus facilities for bioinformatics, sequence analysis and molecular graphics, including 2D and 3D structural modeling of proteins and RNAs. The Biochemistry Department operates an infrastructure of highly available, highly-redundant centralized file storage, guaranteeing the safety and security of all digital research data.

The IT Group also provides computer hardware and software helpdesk support to every member of the Department, as well as access to a variety of desktop software like Adobe Creative Suite and DNAStar. They also maintain all the Departmental network services including Email, Web, File Storage and  File Backup, Directory, Database, and Custom Applications.

 

Media Center
The Media Center will prepare for, or assists researchers in the preparation of illustrations, photographs, and presentation of their results is equipped with the latest in computers and digital equipment.