6th Annual UltraScan Analytical Ultracentrifugation Workshop

May 1st - 6th

Course Contents:

This course will focus on experimental design and analysis of analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) experiments. The goal of this workshop is to provide participants with a solid background in hydrodynamics, and to provide hands-on training with the UltraScan software. The emphasis will be on problem-solving approaches in AUC, and for the participant to gain confidence in designing AUC experiments and using UltraScan to interpret the results.

The workshop will feature an introductory session to bring novices up to speed on hydrodynamic theory and background, and to teach the basics of the software, including editing of the data and the implementation of the UltraScan Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). Then there will be four hands-on data analysis sessions on sedimentation velocity and on sedimentation equilibrium and global methods. In these sessions we will cover experimental design, analysis of interacting and noninteracting solute systems, model - independent and model-dependent analysis, and result presentation. The final session of the workshop will deal with XLA/I instrument issues, such as maintenance, calibration and diagnosis of hardware/software problems, and provide strategies for optimizing the information quality obtainable from the instrument.

Our goal is to provide ample hands-on time for practice and to allow participants to become comfortable with the data analysis and software use, and develop skills for the design of successful experiments and confidence in the interpretation of the results. Participants will gain a solid understanding of the types of questions that can be answered with analytical ultracentrifugation, but they will also learn about the limitations of the technique. The participants will learn how to design an experiment for optimal run conditions using the design modules of UltraScan, and learn how to optimize the run parameters of the instrument. Equally important, participants will learn how to identify hardware issues with the instrument and how to ascertain that the instrument is functioning optimally.

We will provide representative experimental data examples, but the participants are encouraged to also bring data from their own instrument for analysis. Each participant will have access to an individual laptop or desktop computer to practice the examples and excercises presented in class. Participants will receive intensive computer training with the UltraScan software by the author of the software. You will have the opportunity to practice the software with your own data and have all your questions about data analysis with UltraScan answered by the author.

Participants can bring their own laptop computers and staff will be available to assist with the installation of the software. All laptop models and operating systems are supported, including Windows. The minimum requirements for the laptop are:

LIMS Portal and Supercomputer Access:

All participants will be provided with a custom database and web portal account hosted for their institution free of charge at our facility. This database will foster collaboration and provide access to high-performance computing resources at the UTHSCSA bioinformatics core facility, which is supported by the NSF through grant TGMCB070038 and the NIH through grant RO1 RR022200.

Instructors:

Borries Demeler, UTHSCSA, Dept. of Biochemistry
The course is taught by the developer of the UltraScan software, which is used throughout the course to simulate and analyze analytical ultracentrifugation data.

Virgil Schirf, UTHSCSA, Dept. of Biochemistry Facility manager, Center for Analytical Ultracentrifugation of Macromolecular Assemblies.