Matchmaking in Proteomics.

Abstract

Featured Article: Eng JK, McCormack AL, Yates JR. An approach to correlate tandem mass spectral data of peptides with amino acid sequences in a protein database. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 1994;5:976–89. 2 Our 1994 report established a fast and accurate method to interpret the tandem mass spectra of peptides. In the early 1960s, as mass spectrometers became important tools for the elucidation of molecular structures, particularly in the natural products area, there was an interest in applying the technology to the challenge of protein sequence analysis. This task presented many technical barriers, including how to get polar, zwitterionic molecules into the gas phase inside a mass spectrometer. Many of the early solutions to this problem, such as extensive chemical modification of peptides, were elegant but not particularly practical. It was not until new ionization techniques were discovered did it become easier to introduce peptides and proteins into the gas phase, which allowed substantial progress to be made. The invention of the tandem mass …