Placental proteomics: a shortcut to biological insight

Proteomics analysis of biological samples has the potential to identify novel protein expression patterns and/or changes in protein expression patterns in different developmental or disease states. An important component of successful proteomics research, at least in its present form, is to reduce the complexity of the sample if it is derived from cells or tissues. One method to simplify complex tissues is to focus on a specific, highly purified sub-proteome. Using this approach we have developed methods to prepare highly enriched fractions of the apical plasma membrane of the syncytiotrophoblast. Through proteomics analysis of this fraction we have identified over five hundred proteins several of which were previously not known to reside in the syncytiotrophoblast. Herein, we focus on two of these, dysferlin and myoferlin. These proteins, largely known from studies of skeletal muscle, may not have been found in the human placenta were it not for discovery-based proteomics analysis. This new knowledge, acquired through a discovery-driven approach, can now be applied for the generation of hypothesis-based experimentation. Thus discovery-based and hypothesis-based research are complimentary approaches that when coupled together can hasten scientific discoveries.