Proteomic Identification of Saliva Proteins as Noninvasive Diagnostic Biomarkers

Many biomedically relevant biomarkers are proteins with characteristic biochemical properties and a relatively restricted subcellular distribution. The comparative and mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of body fluids can be particularly instrumental for the targeted identification of novel protein biomarkers with pathological relevance. In this respect, new research efforts in biomarker discovery focus on the systematic mapping of the human saliva proteome, as well as the pathobiochemical identification of disease-related modifications or concentration changes in specific saliva proteins. As a product of exocrine secretion, saliva can be considered an ideal source for the biochemical identification of new disease indicators. Importantly, saliva represents a body fluid that is continuously available for diagnostic and prognostic assessments. This chapter gives an overview of saliva proteomics, including a discussion of the usefulness of both liquid chromatography and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis for efficient protein separation in saliva proteomics.