Evaluation of storage phosphor imaging for quantitative analysis of 2-D gels using the Quest II system

The advent of storage phosphor technology has been of considerable benefit to the imaging of gel-separated radiolabeled proteins due to the rapid and quantitative nature of the data acquisition process. Previously, times over one month were required to obtain fluorographs of the same gel to yield data of sufficient dynamic range for quantitative analysis of high-resolution two-dimensional (2-D) gels. As we are in the process of building a human 2-D gel protein database, and therefore have a high throughput of 2-D gels both to image and quantitate using the Quest II software, we undertook an evaluation of a storage phosphor imager, including an evaluation of signal fade. The results of this evaluation demonstrate the feasibility of using such a system, and we describe the procedures that allow us to use this technique for quantitative analysis of many complex 2-D gel patterns. These procedures include a useful batch printing program that allows printing of many images in a non-interactive mode. Examples will be presented of how autoradiography, using storage phosphor plates and the Quest II system, have enabled us to begin building a human 2-D gel protein database including posttranslational modification information, without the previous time constraints associated with such a project.