Abstract
The beautiful scenery around Ardgour in the North West of Scotland was the setting for the sixth annual Exploratory Measurement Science Group symposium. The meeting was organized as a study retreat for scientists with an interest in applications of mass spectrometry and associated technologies to discuss ideas in a relaxed, informal setting. Speakers were invited from a wide range of subject areas in the general field of mass spectrometry technology development and application.
The Exploratory Measurement Science Group (EMSG) was developed by the University of Edinburgh’s chemistry department under the leadership of Pat Langridge-Smith. The group, based in the Scottish Instrumentation and Resource Centre for Advanced Mass Spectrometry (SIRCAMS), is comprised of a growing network of scientists, researchers and industry partners from around the world, who are interested in the development and application of advanced analytical instrumentation.
Nested at the foot of a hill, surrounded by woodland on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in West Scotland (UK), Ardgour House has provided a congenial location for successive EMSG symposia. The meeting provides an opportunity for all guests to present their work and ideas through formal oral presentations, providing fuel for discussions and networking over dinner, the snooker table or around the fireplace late at night.
The Ardgour Symposium is also supported by the UK Research Council-sponsored Radical Solutions for Researching the Proteome (RASOR) Consortium, through which the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Edinburgh and Dundee collaborate to develop novel proteomic workflows and to provide a training conduit for the next generation of scientists.
The meeting advances the aims of the EMSG and RASOR by bringing together users and developers of analytical instrumentation from a wide variety of fields, enabling the crossdisciplinary interaction between scientists who may not otherwise meet. Every year representatives from academia, industry and the Ministry of Defence are invited to present an overview of their research, and are encouraged to illustrate how their expertise could benefit others within a multidisciplinary framework. This year, a wide range of disciplines were discussed including nanotechnology, software engineering and molecular biology, with particular focus on the field of proteomics.
The main ethos of the EMSG symposium is to initiate new collaborative interactions and this aim is recognized in the annual EMSG prize.
Proteomic & beyond
Developments in proteomic technologies were at the forefront of discussions at Ardgour. Presentation topics ranged from the development of novel ion-source technologies to the software solutions for analysis of large-scale MS/MS analyses. Scott Heron, a RASOR-sponsored graduate student working at the University of Glasgow (UK) and the University of Washington (WA, USA), presented his thesis work on the development of surface acoustic wave technology as a mechanism for the efficient ionization of peptides from very small sample volumes.
Another RASOR student, Jenna Scotcher from the University of Edinburgh (UK), described how the redox state of tumor-suppressing protein p53 has significant effects on its activity. Using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) MS, she identified the oxidative modifications to p53 upon hydrogen peroxide treatment. Using top-down FTICR MS she also mapped these modifications to several cysteine residues in the protein.
Melinda McFarland (National Institute of Mental Health, MD, USA) focused on how the function of the neural protein α-synuclein changes upon phosphorylation in familial Parkinson’s disease. She described how quantitative and qualitative differences in the interactions of α-synuclein with other proteins could be assessed with MassSieve, a novel software platform for parsimony analysis of large-scale MS/MS experiments. MassSieve allows the comparison of multiple datasets using multiple search engines and has general application where large datasets are generated from complex samples.
David Clarke (University of Edinburgh) described the use of rapid quench FTICR MS to investigate enzyme kinetics. A model system of the chymotrypsin hydrolysis of para-nitrophenyl acetate, which has an intermediate stage where the enzyme is acetylated, was used to validate the methodology with published kinetic data. This technology allows enzyme kinetics to be measured in real time at extremely early time points. Electron-capture dissociation was also exploited to locate the position of the acetylation to a five amino acid portion of the enzyme. Logan Mckay (University of Edinburgh) also exploited FTICR MS for top-down proteomic characterization of histone modifications with a role in regulation of gene expression.
Two parasitologists from the University of Glasgow presented work on drug resistance in protozoa. Richard Burchmore described a proteomic approach to analyzing pentamidine resistance in Leishmania, which identified a number of changes in proteins associated with the flagellum of the parasite. Isabel Vincent used molecular biology and MS-based metabolomic approaches to identify the mechanism behind eflornithine resistance in Trypanosoma brucei, the etiological agent of sleeping sickness in Africa. Dave Goodlet (University of Washington) presented work on the application of MS for lipid structure analysis and the role of lipid A structure in microbial virulence. Richard Goodwin (University of Glasgow) gave an overview of the current state-of-the-art MS imaging, highlighting recent progress and challenges to this approach.
Aside from the biological emphasis, there was a strong representation from the Ministry of Defence. Simon Ellis-Steinborner and David Kilgour from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory spoke of their research of detection and analysis of explosives and described how Raman spectroscopy has proved to be of limited use for these applications. Lieutenant Commander Jason White QGM, Commanding Officer of the Royal Navy’s Northern Diving Group, gave a fascinating overview of explosive ordnance disposal, both at sea and on land. White illustrated the difficulties in conducting underwater searches for modern naval mines, with particular emphasis on the importance of continued scientific development in the field of explosive detection and disposal. This was followed by a practical demonstration of bomb disposal!
Between and after formal presentations, there was ample opportunity for networking and relaxation. The scientific discussions were taken ‘on-deck’ for an afternoon when delegates participated in sea fishing around Oban, and the plentiful catch was subsequently served for dinner. Fergus Stokes, a former Baptist Minister and now practicing psychotherapist, gave a stimulating after-dinner talk exploring the interfaces between science, religion, philosophy and psychology. Unsurprisingly, Fergus’ speech induced a lively debate!
At the close of the meeting, Ian Sanders (Bruker Daltonics, Coventry, UK) was awarded the annual prize for embracing the spirit of the EMSG. A regular delegate at EMSG symposia, Sanders has consistently made invaluable contributions to both the academic and social fabric of the meeting. Over recent years, Sanders’ enthusiasm and curiosity in a breadth of scientific topics has stimulated fruitful partnerships throughout the EMSG community.
Conclusion
Over the years, several international collaborations have resulted from EMSG symposia. These include ongoing research partnerships between the Goodlett and Langridge-Smith laboratories at the Universities of Washington and Edinburgh, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée et Nanostructures at the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (Lyon, France). These and many other ongoing collaborations typify the cross-fertilization between diverse research areas, which are engendered by the Ardgour Symposium.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
Isabel Vincent and Richard Burchmore are employed by the University of Glasgow. Jenna Scotcher is employed by the University of Edinburgh. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.