Proteomics

Abstract

Systems biology integrates high-throughput molecular sciences such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and glycomics to advance our understanding on pathways, functional nodules and large-scale organisation (Oltvai and Barabasi, Science. 298(5594):763-764, 2002). Developed in the late 1990s, proteomics is now established as one of the pillars of ‘systems biology’. Strategies to characterise the abundance, stability and modification status of proteins, the functional molecules of the cell, are of great interest to enhance our understanding of how cells function and communicate. Proteomic approaches have been exploited extensively by the protozoan parasitology field. In this chapter, we review the present state of proteomic research in protozoan parasites and discuss how various proteomic platforms combined with advanced bioinformatic tools have been used to enhance our understanding of specific biological questions in host-parasite interaction systems.