Gel bands can be submitted in closed Eppendorf tube at 4°C in 10% ethanol (coomassie staining) or 1% acetic acid (silver staining). For samples submitted in solution, please contact us before as the buffer composition is critical for good MS analysis.

No detergents (SDS, NP-40, Triton X100, tween 20, CHAPS, etc...) should be present in your samples except if they are MS compatible (e.g. Rapigest, PPS, ProteaseMax).

Avoid as much as possible keratins contamination. Keratins are the most common contaminant and come from dust, skin, hair, clothes, etc. Wear gloves all the time, use clean glassware and tubes and try to work in clean environment. Polymers (PEG) are another common contaminant in MS. Never use polystyrene tubes with organic or acidic solvent (use only polyproplylene tubes). As soap and hand-cream are source of polymers, always wear gloves.

The more, the Better!

For coomassie stained gels, the rule of thumbs is that an amount that produces a visible band will almost always end up with proteins identification. For silver stained gel, there is no guarantee of success. Don’t hesitate to bring us your gel or send us an image of your gel to have advice. For liquid sample, we recommend at least 15-20 µg of proteins if possible.

Coomassie staining (R250 or colloidal G250) is the preferred one. However you can also use silver staining if required but avoid any fixing step employing glutaraldehyde or paraformaldehyde. Ask us if you need a protocol.

We prefer to receive the intact gel and cut the band ourselves.  If you prefer to do it yourself please observe the following guidelines. Always wear gloves. Only cut gels on a clean glass plate using a clean scalpel. Precisely cut around or within the stained protein band (any excess gel will lead to background noise). Transfer protein band in separate PP eppendorf tubes and add sufficient volume of 1% acetic acid or 10% ethanol solution to cover the band. We recommend to cut also a negative control (i.e. a piece of gel containing no protein at all cut in the same region of you band of interest). Gel bands can be kept at -20°C. before MS analysis (except silver-stained bands which should be freshly process).

ou can bring your samples to the facility each working day between 9:00 and 16:00. However it’s recommended to contact us before to ensure that someone will be in the lab to take care of your samples or if you would like to schedule a specific drop-off time.