Interactive proteomics research technologies: recent applications and advances

Proteins rarely exert their function alone. They normally function in multiprotein complexes that play central roles in all biological functions. Thus, it is not surprising that the investigation of protein-protein interactions on a global scale, of so-called interactomes, has become crucial to modern molecular biology. Dissecting partners in protein complexes gives insight into their molecular function and can help in understanding disease-related mechanisms, ultimately resulting in better drug target definition. A variety of methods exist to unravel protein interaction circuitries and recently, significant progress has been made in adapting these tools for the generation of large-scale interaction datasets. Here, we present an overview of the latest advances and applications of interactive proteomics research technologies.