Molecular Biology Core (MBC) Shared Facility

Director: Casey Morrow, PhD

Department/Center Association: Center for AIDS Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center

Established: 1989

Mission

The mission of the Core is to provide critical assistance in the area of Molecular Biology to researchers at UAB, especially those researchers in AIDS and cancer research-related fields. This assistance is in the form of providing related laboratory procedures and enabling technology transfer through personnel training and consultation.

Facility Description

The Molecular Biology Core (MBC) laboratory is located in the Bevill Biomedical Research Building, Room 346. The Core is equipped with standard laboratory equipment for the purification and analysis of DNA and protein. It has a walk-in cold room and warm room, a thermal cycler, and a high-speed centrifuge. It has computerized DNA analysis and manipulation capability, and has shared use of digital imaging equipment.

Research Information

The MBC provides the UAB research community with molecular biology services that primarily involve the manipulation and/or modification of recombinant DNA (including DNA subcloning, PCR cloning, site-directed mutagenesis, etc.) and the expression and purification of recombinant proteins from E. coli. These services range from simple consulting with researchers regarding various molecular biology techniques to actual performance of the techniques on a contractual basis.

Within the span of the above-mentioned services, the MBC has the expertise to facilitate the construction, transformation, and purification (using E. coli) of large proviral clones in eukaryotic expression vectors. It can provide RT-PCR services from client-provided RNA. It also has the shared use of a Roche RTS ProteoMaster instrument for cell-free expression of recombinant proteins; this is particularly useful in the event that the desired protein is poorly expressed, for example due to toxicity, in a given in vivo expression system.

One of the primary missions of the MBC is the transfer of recombinant DNA technology to other labs throughout UAB. The Core has worked with numerous personnel from other labs – including students, technicians, medical professionals and principle investigators – who have spent time in the MBC lab, or worked closely with the MBC lab, to learn various molecular biology techniques. The MBC serves as a localized resource that allows investigators to have formal and informal consultations on various aspects of molecular biology and protein expression. It maintains a large collection of vectors and E. coli strains that have been made available to many researchers at UAB.

In addition to the services above, the MBC hosts an on-site supply center for Invitrogen and Qiagen products. UAB researchers can obtain stocked items after setting up an account with the MBC by simply providing an appropriate Oracle string allowing the MBC to do direct internal billing for the item(s). Items that are not stocked on-site can be ordered through the MBC. Molecular biology-related products from these vendors can be obtained, usually at a discount, without the wait for an external PO, and without the shipping costs incurred by ordering directly from the vendor.

Contact Information

Core Manager: David McPherson

Email: dmprers(at)uab(dot)edu

Phone: 205-934-7755

Web Site: http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=16529

Approved by: David McPherson, Research Core Facility Manager

Date: March 18, 2008

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