Proteomics is the study of all the proteins in an organism, including their interactions, changes, and effects. With around 400,000 proteins in the human proteome, proteomics is complex. Methods such as X-ray machines, MRI, affinity chromatograph, and gel electrophoresis are used to study proteins. Proteomics is a new and exciting field with the potential for significant scientific and medical advances.
The study of the human genome is an exciting and oft-discussed field of research. The study of the human proteome, of all the different proteins that make up the human body, is lesser known, but equally exciting and important. The term proteomics was coined to describe this fascinating and complex science.
Proteomics is the study of all the proteins that make up an organism. Proteomics does not only study proteins themselves, but also how they interact, the changes they undergo and the effects they have within the organism. The size and complexity of the human proteome is part of what makes proteomics such a complex science.
Just as genomics begins with a mapping of the human genome, proteomics attempts to identify and evaluate the function of all the different proteins in the human body. This is a tall order, because not only are there a huge number of proteins in the human proteome, around 400,000; but these proteins are also found in different locations within the body at different stages in a person’s life and can change within a single cell. There are several methods available for proteomics scientists to study proteins. Various types of X-ray machines can provide proteomics researchers with details about protein structures. X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines also allow proteomics researchers to see where proteins are located within the body and within individual cells.
Proteomics researchers also rely on the affinity chromatograph and gel electrophoresis to study individual proteins. Both methods provide the proteomics researcher with information about the physical dimensions of proteins. Gel electrophoresis separates different proteins based on their size by using an electric current to move them through a gel. Larger proteins move more slowly, so in a set amount of time the proteins that moved the shortest distance are larger than those that moved further.
The affinity chromatograph tells proteomics researchers which chemicals or other proteins a specific protein interacts with. The affinity chromatograph can trap specific substances, allowing the proteomics researcher to wash away unwanted material. By trapping a specific protein, scientists can separate out other material, including chemicals or other proteins that the target protein interacts with.
Proteomics is still a relatively new field, and as you can see, it’s quite complex. Scientists researching proteomics have the opportunity to uncover untold insights into the human proteome. Only the future will tell us what scientific and medical advances proteomics can bring.
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