Applications of stable isotope dimethyl labeling in quantitative proteomics

Mass spectrometry has proven to be an indispensable tool for protein identification, characterization, and quantification. Among the possible methods in quantitative proteomics, stable isotope labeling by using reductive dimethylation has emerged as a cost-effective, simple, but powerful method able to compete at any level with the present alternatives. In this review, we briefly introduce experimental and software methods for proteome analysis using dimethyl labeling and provide a comprehensive overview of reported applications in the analysis of (1) differential protein expression, (2) posttranslational modifications, and (3) protein interactions.