proteomics

Large-scale study of the proteome, that is the entirety of proteins specified by the genome of an organism.

Following the successful sequencing of most of the human genome by 2001, understanding the complex interactions within the proteome was hailed as the next big challenge for the life sciences. Proteomics requires high-throughput investigations, where data on thousands of proteins can be collected rapidly or even simultaneously and the millions of possible interactions between them can be probed.

Important methods used in proteomics include: two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by sequence analysis on each of the separated proteins; yeast ‘two-hybrid’ analysis, allowing researchers to find protein-protein interactions among a large number of possible pairings; protein microarrays, where many different proteins are immobilized on a microchip and can be investigated in parallel; phage display, where proteins of interest are linked to the coat proteins of bacteriophages; high-throughput crystallography; mass spectrometry; computational methods.

The proteomics approach also benefits drug discovery, as potential target sites in pathogens can now be screened with unprecedented speed and efficiency. Following the trend of genomics and proteomics, other ‘-omics’ disciplines have emerged, including metabolomics.