Proteomic Profiling of Hsp90 Inhibitors

Mass spectrometry assays demonstrate that Hsp90 inhibitors alter the expression of approximately one-quarter of the assayable proteome in mammalian cells. These changes are extraordinarily robust and reproducible, making "proteomics profiling" the gold standard for validating the effects of new Hsp90 inhibitors on cultured cells. Proteomics assays can also suggest novel hypotheses regarding drug mechanisms. To assist investigators in adopting this approach, this Chapter provides detailed protocols for conducting simple proteomics assays of Hsp90 inhibition. The protocols present a robust label-free approach that utilizes pre-fractionation of protein samples by SDS-PAGE, thereby providing reasonably good penetration into the proteome while addressing common issues with sample quality. The actual programming and operation of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometers is not covered, but expectations for achievable performance are discussed, as are alternative approaches, common challenges, and software for data analysis.