Providing a simple and robust solution for many laboratories, protein sequencing utilising automated Edman degradation chemistry remains a vital method of producing unambiguous data on biopharmaceutical or biochemical materials. An Edman sequencer, such as Shimadzu’s innovative PPSQ series instrument, is ideal for producing N-Terminal Sequencing information for proteins and peptides and is less complex to use than many alternative mass spectrometry-based techniques.
Shimadzu’s PPSQ series achieves greater simplicity and reliability in the automatic determination of amino acid sequences by employing state-of-the-art HPLC analysis coupled with high sensitivity detection and powerful new acquisition/analysis software. N-Terminal sequencing is a key part of the ICH Q6B guidelines for characterisation and confirmation of biopharmaceuticals for new marketing applications.
The PPSQ Series has been specifically developed to simplify the generation of customised reports for information relating to estimated sequences and yield rates which can easily be displayed in graphical form to enable users to select amino acids for their calculations.
Ideal for supporting QA applications in biopharmaceutical and biochemistry companies, the Shimadzu PPSQ series is also well suited for university departments looking to run protein sequencing studies. By using Shimadzu’s highly acclaimed HPLC, the PPSQ series protein sequencers are able to separate PTH-amino acids isocratically which
improves baseline stability to allow high-sensitivity analysis of PTH-amino acids. Isocratic sequence analysis provides more stable retention times.
Analysis in isocratic mode allows eluents to be recycled, which reduces the amount of mobile phase required and reduces waste disposal rates and in turn leads to significant cost savings. The PPSQ series’ software features control functions for the reaction unit and HPLC, enabling easier sequence analysis of proteins and peptides. Easy-to-use data analysis functions simplify the reprocessing of chromatograms as well as the overlaying of multiple chromatograms, which all helps in the automatic estimation of amino acid sequences.