MRI: Acquisition of an ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry system to enable metaproteomics experiments to support microbiome research

An award is made to Colorado State University (CSU) to purchase state-of-the-art instrumentation to study the microbiome. The instrument will be housed in and managed by the CSU Analytical Resources Core Bioanalysis and Omics Center (ARC-BIO) at the Fort Collins Campus, which ensures that this shared resource is equally available to all CSU students – including students at the CSU campus in Pueblo, CO, a federally designated minority serving institution.

The requested instrument will be used to support a hands-on undergraduate research experience in microbiological sciences. The PI team, highly regarded leaders in microbiome and analytical sciences, will disseminate knowledge derived from this instrument through both formal and informal methods, including development of graduate and undergraduate coursework and lectures, laboratory tours, graduate committee membership, and undergraduate employment and training.

A hands-on workshop involving the Graduate Student Microbiome Club and the student Bioinformatics Club is planned to introduce metaproteomic concepts and nurture a well-educated user base for this instrument. These educational activities offer improved STEM educational opportunities at every academic level within CSU in a manner that reflects CSU’s diversity.

Training in modern mass spectrometry helps to ensure a globally competitive STEM workforce valued by both academic and corporate employers.

The “microbiome” can be defined as a community of microorganisms in a particular environment (e.g. human, animal, soil, etc.). Microbiome studies are primarily facilitated using 16S rRNA or metagenomics sequencing to identify the bacterial components present in a given microbial community. However, this type of analysis cannot measure functional changes to microbial communities (e.g. what are the bacteria doing?).

Proteins represent the biologically functional output of genes, and proteomics is the analytical technique used to characterize an organism’s functionality. By extension, metaproteomics approaches provide thousands of measurements of protein composition and concentration from a community of organisms. Metaproteomics has historically been limited by mass spectrometry technology and computational challenges.

Significant advancements have been achieved in both of these areas, opening the potential for more researchers to incorporate metaproteomics approaches in their studies. Researchers at CSU are interested in understanding the functional and structural basis of microbiome biology and ecology, with application to research fields including human, animal, plant and soil biology, ecology, and biofuels.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.