Sample Preparation Methods for Large-Scale Analysis of Membrane Proteins Using Shotgun Proteomics

Abstract

Shotgun proteomics based on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry has been widely used to provide alarge-scale view of the proteome, including protein expression, localization, modification, and protein-protein interaction. However, it is still challenging tasks to carry out membrane protein-targeted proteome analysis due to the hydrophobic nature of proteins with transmembrane domains. Here, we review current sample prepara- tion techniques such as enrichment, solubilization, and digestion for membrane proteomics and focus on phase-transfer surfactant-based approaches recently developed by our group. We also discuss future develop- ments for membrane proteome focused shotgun proteomics.