Quantitative peptide and protein profiling by mass spectrometry

Proteomics may be defined as the systematic analysis of proteins expressed in a given organism (Electrophoresis 16:1090-1094, 1995). Important technical innovations in mass spectrometry (MS), protein identification methods, and database annotation, over the past decade, now make it possible to routinely identify thousands of proteins in complex biological samples (Nature 422:198-207, 2003). However, to gain new insights regarding fundamental biological questions, accurate protein quantification is also required. In this chapter, we present methods for the biochemical separation of different cellular compartments, two-dimensional chromatographic separation of the constituent peptide populations, and the recently published Spectral Counting Strategy, a label-free MS-based protein quantification technology (Cell 125:173-186, 2006; Anal Chem 76:4193-4201, 2004; Mol Cell Proteomics 4:1487-1502, 2005; Cell 125:1003-1013, 2006; Methods 40:135-142, 2006; Anal Chem 77:6218-6224, 2005; J Proteome Res 5:2339-2347, 2006). Additionally, highly accurate protein quantification based on isotope dilution, describing the isotope coded protein label (ICPL) - method shall be explained in detail (Mol Cell Proteomics 5:1543-1558, 2006; Proteomics 5:4-15, 2005).