Two decades of proteomics in Latin America: a personal view

Proteomics is the charming young daughter of classical protein chemistry. It was conceived in 1975, year of invention of the first proteomic technique, the procedure to separate Escherichia coli and mouse tissue proteins in a two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel. Pregnancy, however, lasted for over 10years and deliverance occurred together with sister protein mass spectrometry. Jointly, the two techniques changed protein chemistry moving it from the study of single molecular entities to whole cell extracts and fluids. This review does not propose to report state-of-the art in proteomics in Latin America but rather to describe its development with emphasis on leading Brazil and Cuba as well as discuss proteomic research in these and other countries exposing the history and stories of researchers and selected laboratories that contributed to its establishment and development in the last 20years.

This manuscript accounts for the fact that proteomics was present in Latin America since its birth. However, because the political and the economic situation in the region during the eighties and nineties were not favorable for science expansion, its beginning was shy. This changed at the dawn of the 21st century in such a way that a Latin American country, Brazil, became number 10 in manuscripts published in high impact journals as the Journal of Proteomics and Proteomics in 2012/2013. Interestingly, actual prevailing research themes come from centenary protein areas of study - e.g. neglected diseases - that quickly migrated from classical protein chemistry to proteomics, especially human parasites and snake, scorpion and spider venoms. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: "20years of Proteomics" in memory of Viatliano Pallini" Guest Editors: Luca Bini, Juan J. Calvete, Natacha Turck, Denis Hochstrasser and Jean-Charles Sanchez.