Microarrays for molecular recognition studies

Benefit description

The microarray technology is a high-throughput tool that enables the simultaneous analyses of a large number of biomolecular interactions using very small amounts of sample. The IQFR microarray platform provides a tailor-made service that offers the possibility of building ¿designer¿ microarrays by printing in the arrays the samples of interest for a given study. A wide repertoire of samples can be printed, from purified biomolecules (proteins, lipids, or carbohydrates) to more complex samples, as cell extracts or fractions, and even extracellular vesicles and entire bacterial or yeast cells. Thus, a great diversity of functional and molecular recognition studies can be performed, covering from studies on particular receptor-counterreceptor pairs or evaluation of compounds as inhibitors of the interaction, to analyses of large collections of clinical samples. The approach involves three main steps, namely, preparation of samples for microarray printing, microarray printing and quality control, and microarray validation and binding assays (see Methods Enzymol 2018;598:37-70 and Methods Mol Biol 2022;2460:147-60). Manual or robotic arraying and protocols to be followed in each step are established based on the number and type of samples to be printed, and the targets to be tested. The microarray facility provides a tailor-made service that offers the possibility of building ¿designer¿ microarrays and running a diversity of binding analyses. Applications may include, among others, the characterization of particular features of the printed samples (referred to as probes), screening of the binding properties towards particular probes of samples of interest (referred to as targets), or the evaluation of compounds as inhibitors of probe¿target interactions. In standard procedures, the biotin-streptavidin system is used for detection of binding. To this aim, the microarray service provides Alexa Fluor 647-labeled streptavidin and different primary and secondary antibodies. The service also offers libraries of glycoproteins and (lipo)polysaccharides that can be used as well-defined probes, a panel of over 40 plant lectins of known carbohydrate-binding specificities for the analysis of glycosylation patterns of test probes, and a broad collection of human lectins of the innate immune system for evaluating the potential of test probes to serve as ligands for these lectins. The service includes: experimental design, sample preparation, microarray printing, binding assays and quantitation of the results. The analysis and interpretation of the results are not included in the rates and are only carried out as a scientific collaboration. Service rates are divided into three types of services depending on the kind of sample (bacteria or no bacteria) and on the printing system required (manual or robotically printed arrays). Sample collection to be printed in the microarrays will be selected based on each case of study and could include specific samples provided by the service contractor. For required sample volumes and concentrations, please contact people responsible for the service, since these data depend on the type of sample and the final design of the desired microarray. more information and contact details at: https://mabio.iqfr.csic.es/en/service/technique

Benefit description