Affinity Anchors: Overview of Popular Tags for Modern Molecular Biology

Abstract—In the functioning of living systems, intermolecular contacts, including protein–protein interactions, play a crucial role. One of the main methods for studying them is affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry (AP-MS). This approach relies on the refinement of epitope tags, short genetic modifications of proteins, which subsequently enable the “capture” of target molecules. This review aims to compare the most popular epitope tags and discuss traditional and innovative studies in which they are used. The primary goal of this manuscript is to assess how close the scientific community is to creating a “perfect” tag that meets the needs of most researchers who use tags to address a wide range of molecular biology tasks.