View article

The patterns of gene expression, post‐translational modifications, protein/biomolecular interactions, and how these may be affected by changes in the environment, cannot be accurately predicted from DNA sequences. Approaches for proteome characterization are generally based upon mass spectrometric analysis of in‐gel digested two dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2‐D PAGE) separated proteins, allowing relatively rapid protein identification compared to conventional approaches. This technique, however, is constrained by the speed of the 2‐D PAGE separations, the sensitivity limits intrinsic to staining necessary for protein visualization, the speed and sensitivity of subsequent mass spectrometric analyses for identification, and the limited ability for accurate quantitative measurements based on differences in spot intensity. We are presently developing alternative approaches for proteomics …