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What are Proteins?Proteins are the molecules of life. Some proteins are muscle. Others send signals within or between cells, turn genes on and off, form the skeletons of cells, burn energy, catalyze or inhibit chemical reactions, control the immune system…. Proteins do it all. »More |
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What is a Proteome?A proteome is the sum of all the proteins in an organism, a tissue, or a sample under study. Just as the human genome is the collection of all human genes, so the human proteome is the collection of all human proteins. While your genome is determined exclusively by heredity, your proteome arises from both heredity and environment. »More |
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What is Proteomics?Proteomics is the search for information about proteins, conducted on an industrial scale. Traditionally, scientists have studied proteins one by one. Proteomics studies the whole proteome at once. Proteomics identifies proteins, modifications of proteins, interactions between proteins, and more. »More |
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Why Care About Proteomics?Proteomics will lead to research breakthroughs allowing doctors to better diagnose and treat diseases. Those pursuing proteomics hope to find biological markers that signal disease, targets for drugs, and detailed understanding of biology on the molecular level. Proteomics may hold the key to personalized medicine. »More |
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How Are Proteins Identified?Today, medical clinics and research laboratories routinely identify proteins using antibodies. This requires technicians to have an antibody for each protein they wish to identify. But so far, we have identified antibodies for only a limited set of proteins. An alternative identification technique, recently perfected, uses mass spectrometry. »More |
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How Does Mass Spectrometry Identify Proteins? Mass spectrometers identify proteins in a manner analogous to using fingerprints to identify a person. Each protein has a mass spectrum with unique characteristics. To minimize confusion, proteins must first be separated from protein mixtures; then they can be examined with a mass spectrometer. »More |
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How Do Mass Spectrometers Work ? Mass spectrometers measure the mass of charged molecules. A charged molecule moves through an electrical or magnetic field in a precise way determined by its mass. Mass spectrometry became important to proteomics when researchers discovered how to gently put a charge on proteins without destroying them. »More |
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What Can Proteomics Software Do? Bioinformatics applies software applications and databases to genomics and proteomics. Protein databases are populated with the results of classical protein research, as well as predictions computed from genomics. Software controls instruments and analyzes the results. »More |
Proteomics for Pedestrians
This introduction to proteomics for people from different backgrounds gives a brief overview of various background topics and provides a guide to web sites where you can find more in-depth discussions.
If you are already familiar with the fundamentals of proteomics, the accompanying web pages "Proteomics Algorithms and Data Interpretation" provide more advanced topics.
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