Current proteomics methods applicable to dissecting the DNA damage response

Abstract

The DNA damage response (DDR) entails reorganization of proteins and protein complexes involved in DNA repair. The coordinated regulation of these proteomic changes maintains genome stability. Traditionally, regulators and mediators of DDR have been investigated individually. However, recent advances in mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics enable us to globally quantify changes in protein abundance, post-translational modifications (PTMs), protein localization, and protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in cells. Furthermore, structural proteomics approaches, such as crosslinking MS (XL-MS), hydrogen/deuterium exchange MS (H/DX-MS), Native MS (nMS), provide large structural information of proteins and protein complexes, complementary to the data collected from conventional methods, and promote integrated structural modeling. In this review, we will overview the current cutting-edge functional and structural proteomics techniques that are being actively utilized and developed to help interrogate proteomic changes that regulate the DDR.