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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Combining Chemical Cross-linking and Mass Spectrometry of Intact Protein Complexes to Study the Architecture of Multi-subunit Protein Assemblies
Published on: November 28, 2017
Native mass spectrometry: a bridge between interactomics and structural biology
1Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Group, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. a.j.r.heck@uu.nl
Abstract:
Native mass spectrometry is an emerging technology that allows the topological investigation of intact protein complexes with high sensitivity and a theoretically unrestricted mass range. This unique tool provides complementary information to established technologies in structural biology, and also provides a link to high-throughput interactomics studies, which do not generate information on exact protein complex-composition, structure or dynamics. Here I review the current state of native mass spectrometry technology and discuss several important biological applications. I also describe current experimental challenges in native mass spectrometry, encouraging readers to contribute to solutions.
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