ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the state of the art of soil proteomics by underpinning the methodological and conceptual challenges and the potentialities for improving the determination of microbial activities as main drivers of soil functionality. It examines the development of analytical tools in proteomics studies in order to foster improved applications in soil. The chapter explains the different locations of proteins in the soil matrix. Given the complexity of soil and its immense microbial diversity and biomass, it is problematic to study the full plethora of soil microbial functions by expressed proteins. Understanding the proteomic responses of known microorganisms is useful as it gives information on the relationship between microbial presence and soil functions. The chapter addresses the proteomics-based studies of soil microbiomes in microcosm and mesocosm systems. It considers proteomics of soil samples collected under extreme environmental conditions which are hypothesized to have a more limited microbial functionality than other soils, also in the context of a historical perspective.
