Overview of N-terminal Protein Sequencing Methods and Applications

N-terminal protein sequencing is a method used to determine the amino acid sequence starting from the N-terminal of a protein or peptide chain. Accurate amino acid sequence information is essential for the study of protein structure and function.

Figure 1. N-terminal protein sequencing process

1. Common N-terminal protein sequencing methods are:

1. Edman degradation method:

Through specific chemical reactions, amino acids are sequentially removed from the N-terminal of a polypeptide or protein and identified at each step.

This method can continuously determine 20-30 amino acids, but for longer protein sequences, it may need to be combined with other methods.

2. Mass spectrometry method:

Using the mass and charge characteristics of proteins or peptides, analysis is performed via mass spectrometry to determine their amino acid composition.

When combined with protease digestion, mass spectrometry can be used to deduce the complete amino acid sequence of a protein.

3. Molecular biology methods:

By analyzing the sequence of the gene encoding the protein, the amino acid sequence of the protein can be directly obtained.

This usually involves DNA sequencing followed by translation from gene to protein.

Applications:

N-terminal protein sequencing technology has important applications in many fields:

• Protein identification: In the discovery of new proteins or confirmation of recombinant proteins, N-terminal sequencing provides an accurate protein identification method.
• Quality control: In the biopharmaceutical field, it is used to ensure the consistency and purity of biopharmaceuticals.
• Drug development: Helps understand the structure of drug targets, guiding drug design and screening.
• Biomarker research: In disease diagnosis, N-terminal sequencing helps in identifying and validating biomarkers.
• Proteomics: Expands the understanding of complex biological processes by identifying protein start sites and signal peptide cleavage.

BioTypePack Biotechnology — a premium service provider of biopharmaceutical characterization and multi-omics mass spectrometry detection.

Related services:

Protein N/C-terminal sequencing

Biopharmaceutical N/C-terminal sequencing

N/C-terminal sequence analysis

N-terminal sequence analysis

Protein sequencing

Complete protein sequence determination

De novo protein sequencing

Mass spectrometry-based sequence analysis

Top-down protein sequencing

Edman degradation-based N-terminal sequence analysis

Peptide sequencing

De novo peptide sequencing

Secondary mass spectrometry peptide sequencing

Antibody sequencing