Progress and pitfalls of using isobaric mass tags for proteome profiling

Area of Science:

• Proteomics
• Mass Spectrometry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Quantitative proteomics utilizes label-free or label-based methods.
• Labeling strategies involve incorporating stable isotopes.
• Isobaric labeling allows relative quantification of peptides/proteins by mass spectrometry.

Purpose of the Study:

• Systematic review of isobaric mass tag use in proteomic research since 2003.
• Focus on quantitative performance, multiplexing evolution, and applications.
• Discussion of limitations and solutions for quantitative ratio distortion.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review.
• Analysis of quantitative performances and multiplexing capabilities.
• Evaluation of applications in pre-clinical and clinical studies.

Main Results:

• Isobaric mass tags facilitate simultaneous comparison of multiple protein samples.
• Technology improves sample throughput and internal relative quantification.
• Applications demonstrated in pre-clinical models and clinical studies.

Conclusions:

• Isobaric mass tag technology offers high sample throughput and improved quantitative accuracy.
• Well-suited for proteome profiling in discovery studies.
• Use of shared reference samples enables large-scale studies.