Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
"Cell Surface Capture" Workflow for Label-Free Quantification of the Cell Surface Proteome
Published on: March 24, 2023
CD proteome and beyond - technologies for targeting the immune cell surfaceome
Thomas Bock1, Damaris Bausch-Fluck, Andreas Hofmann
1National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR), Neuro Center for Proteomics, UZH/ ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 16, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Insights
Understanding the cell surface proteome is crucial for immunology. New mass spectrometry methods allow for better identification and quantification of these cell surface proteins, advancing systems biology approaches.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Proteomics
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Cell surface proteins mediate crucial intercellular communication and regulate cell interactions within microenvironments.
- Current detection technologies offer limited views of the cell surface proteome, hindering comprehensive analysis.
- A significant challenge is the lack of high-quality antibodies for cell surface targets, impeding systems-level understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight recent advancements in the identification and quantification of the cell surface proteome (surfaceome).
- To emphasize the potential of new mass spectrometry-based technologies for surfaceome analysis.
- To underscore the importance of the surfaceome as the cell's information gateway.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent developments in mass spectrometry-based technologies for proteomic analysis.
- Focus on qualitative and quantitative approaches for surfaceome profiling.
- Discussion of antibody limitations in current cell surface protein detection.
Main Results:
- Mass spectrometry now enables complementary approaches for comprehensive surfaceome analysis.
- Progress has been made towards the identification and quantification of the cell surface proteome.
- These advancements facilitate a systems biology view of the surfaceome.
Conclusions:
- The cell surface proteome is a critical subproteome for cellular information processing.
- Advancements in mass spectrometry are overcoming previous limitations in surfaceome research.
- Future research can leverage these technologies for a deeper understanding of cell surface functions in immunology and beyond.
Abstract:
Communication between cells of the immune system and the organism is dependent on information processing mediated by proteins of the cell surface. The cell surface proteome consists of a group of functionally diverse proteins, which not only enables but also limits the interaction capacities of cells within their particular microenvironment. Although these proteins represent a highly important proteome for immunological research, most routinely used technologies for their detection only allow for a fragmented view of the ensemble of cell surface located proteins. A major bottleneck is the limited availability of high quality antibodies against cell surface protein targets that altogether impedes a Systems Biology view on the cell surface proteome (surfaceome) and its concerted functions during signal processing. Recent developments in mass spectrometry-based technologies enable now complementary approaches for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the surfaceome. Here, we highlight recent progress in the field towards the identification and quantification of the surfaceome as an important subproteome forming the information gateway of the cell.
