ABSTRACT
Proteomics is rapidly becoming a mature approach, yet many technical challenges remain. The most important of these arises from the inherent complexity of the proteome. Numerous different proteins must be characterized to fully determine the proteome, yet the sheer complexity of the proteome does not arise simply from the range of different genes expressed within a given cell system. Additional complexity arises from a large number of sources, which can be pre-, co-, or post-translational in origin. In order for the cell to perform its correct functions, the expression, behaviour and degradation of proteins are highly regulated, with numerous mechanisms contributing to this tight regulation.
