BAR ILAN CORE BIOSCIENCE FACILITY: FROM CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT TEXTILES TO SPR CHACRACTERIZATION OF microRNA TARGETS

The Bar Ilan HPLC and Spectroscopy Unit purpose is to support Life Sciences researchers’ chemical, biochemical, and biophysical analysis and characterization needs. Our unit provides a wide spectrum of services, such as bioassay development, analytical chromatography, purification and stabilization of biomolecules, spectrophotometric characterization, and biomolecular interaction analysis by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Micro Scale Thermophoresis (MST). We maintain and operate high-performance chromatography systems equipped with sophisticated photometric detectors. We routinely perform complex analysis of biological extracts, polypeptides, oligosaccharides, and nucleic acids, using multiple detection capabilities that include Diode Array, Fluorescence, and Refractive Index detectors. With the help of HPLC-DAD system, a chemical analysis of Murex-dyed textiles dated to the Roman Period from archaeological site in wadi Murabba`at, Israel, was performed. A sea snail Hexaplex trunculus and Armenian Cochineal were identified as sources of dye for three separate textiles. This presents a significant advance in identifying a novel dyeing technique.

Detailed investigation of molecular binding events using readily achievable quantities of test materials is accomplished using mutually complementary SPR and MST technologies. We have applied SPR to elucidate a putative regulatory mechanism in the field of liver metabolism. Several microRNAs targeting 3’ UTR region of a “longevity protein” SIRT6 were characterized and ranked using experimentally obtained binding parameters.