"Proteomic Approaches "

     Proteomics, a term that was coined in 1994, is the systematic investigation of proteins and involves a consideration of quantity, subcellular distribution, structure, activity, interactions (protein-protein, mRNA-protein, DNA-protein), and posttranslational modification (including phosphorylation, glycosylation, sulfation, hydroxylation, methylation, acylation, nitrosylation). Complexity does not scale with the number of genes (human 20,000 genes vs. fly 15,000 genes). Increased complexity is explained - at least in part - by increased alternative splicing, posttranslational modification, functional protein complexes, and highly complex protein networks. The transcriptome does not correlate well with protein levels, nor does it accurately predict for protein modification and/or function. The field of proteomics strives to fill this gap. Genomics and proteomics should be viewed as complimentary approaches.