Characterizing disease-associated changes in post-translational modifications by mass spectrometry.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Proteomics
• Mass Spectrometry

Background:

• Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are crucial for protein function regulation in physiological and disease states.
• Altered PTMs are implicated in disease pathogenesis and can serve as valuable biomarkers.
• Recent advancements enable simultaneous analysis of multiple PTMs from limited sample volumes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent mass spectrometry-based methods for assessing the PTMome.
• To evaluate data-dependent and data-independent acquisition methods in PTMomics.
• To discuss current challenges and future directions in the field.

Main Methods:

• Mass spectrometry-based approaches for PTM discovery and quantification.
• High-throughput analysis of the PTMome.
• Evaluation of different mass spectrometry acquisition strategies.

Main Results:

• Simultaneous analysis of multiple PTMs is now feasible from small sample amounts, increasing PTMome coverage.
• Quantitative PTMomics shows promise for biomarker discovery in tissues and body fluids.
• Characterization of signaling pathways through PTM analysis can elucidate disease mechanisms.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative PTMomics holds significant potential for clinical and biomedical research.
• Development of spectral libraries for patient-specific PTMs can facilitate personalized medicine.
• Continued advancements in mass spectrometry methods are crucial for PTMome assessment.