[N-terminomics: proteomic strategies for protein N-terminal profiling]

Protein N-termini, as the beginning of translation, has a major impact on protein's biological functions. Its sequence and various post-translational modifications often affect protein activation, stability and cellular-localization, regulate the signal transduction, and even determine protein's final destiny. The systematic study of protein N-termini can clarify the vital function of the N-terminus, and provide in-depth knowledge of the multifunctional roles that protein has played in diverse biological processes. In addition, N-terminal research may help us to achieve high-coverage proteomics and re-annotate genomics. Combined with our own research, this review highlights recent progress of N-terminomics, especially some important enrichment strategies and technologies based on mass spectrometry.