Quantitative Proteomics
Proteins, composed of amino acids linked by peptide bonds, are molecular machines responsible for executing genetic instructions within living organisms. Proteomics is the science that studies the entire proteome, which is the complete set of proteins in a living organism. Among them, Quantitative Proteomics is an analytical technique based on biological mass spectrometry that allows for the quantitative comparison of protein expression.
1. Basic Principles
Quantitative proteomics technology is based on mass spectrometry, reflecting the relative or absolute content of proteins in organisms by measuring parameters such as peak intensity or peak area of protein or peptide ions on the mass spectrometer. This technology plays an important role in revealing changes in protein expression and interactions under physiological or pathological conditions.
2. Technology Classification
Quantitative proteomics technology is mainly divided into labeled and label-free categories.
1. Labeled Quantitative Techniques
This includes isotope labeling techniques (such as ICAT, iTRAQ, TMT) and chemical labeling techniques (such as SILAC). These techniques involve adding special tags during the sample pre-treatment stage, allowing proteins from different conditions or time points to be simultaneously detected and compared in the same mass spectrometry experiment.
For example, the iTRAQ (Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantification) technique achieves parallel quantitative comparison of up to eight samples by isobarically labeling the N-terminus and lysine carboxyl end of peptides.
2. Label-free Quantitative Techniques
This mainly includes standard protein quantification, spectral counting, and standard peptide quantification. These methods do not require pre-labeling of samples and directly quantify the relative or absolute content by measuring and comparing the signal intensity of the same protein or peptide in different samples.
For instance, spectral counting is a method based on the number of spectra generated by peptides in mass spectrometry to evaluate the relative abundance of proteins. It is simple, intuitive, and advantageous when handling large numbers of samples.
3. Application Areas
The application areas of quantitative proteomics technology are extensive, mainly including biological research, clinical medicine, and drug development.
For example, in biological research, quantitative proteomics technology enables scientists to better understand processes such as the cell cycle, signal transduction, and lipid metabolism. In clinical medicine, it can be used to discover biomarkers for diseases such as tumors, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders, aiding in early diagnosis and disease assessment. In drug development, the technology can be used to study drug mechanisms and side effects, promoting the progress of personalized medicine.
BiotechPack, A Biopharmaceutical Characterization and Multi-Omics Mass Spectrometry (MS) Services Provider
Related Services:
Absolute Quantification Analysis (AQUA)
Quantitative Proteome Analysis
Label-Free Quantitative Proteome Analysis
Label-based Protein Quantification Technologies - iTRAQ, TMT, SILAC
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