TECHNOLOGIES DRIVING PROTEOMICS IN EVOLUTIONARY STUDIES: A CRITICAL OVERVIEW

Proteomics is the analysis of the protein composition of the cell, organ, or organism at any given time. The nascent and subtle developments in proteomics have ushered a new attractive and useful gateway to study the whole protein content of a biological sample in one set of experiments. In the past few years, proteomics has rapidly progressed and major advances in this sphere have led to radical researches into new applications like analysis of proteins for clinical diagnostic purposes. Quantifying the protein expression is a crucial part of proteomics research and employs the methods that provide accurate analytical values in protein and peptide mixtures in biological fluids such as serum or plasma. Core technologies applied for the separation of protein and peptide mixtures are one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, chromatography and mass spectrometry coupled with MALDI–TOF and ESI-MS. In this review, we have attempted to describe various approaches established for the analyses of proteins and the highlight the current technologies used for proteome fractionation and separation of biological samples. Exploration of protein analysis has opened new dimensions in the clinical biochemistry and medical field.