ABSTRACT
The proteins produced by the bacterial cell can work independently, however, some work in coordinated multiprotein systems. These systems are responsible for secretion of proteins, synthesis of the bacterial peptidoglycan layer, cell division, uptake of nutrients, and efflux of hazards from the cell. Some multiprotein systems come together to form a functional part of the bacterial cell, while others come together to biosynthesize the non-protein components of the cell. Multiprotein systems will be explored in this chapter, along with the knowledge that has been gained through the study of bacterial proteomes. Like the genome or the transcriptome, the proteome is all of the proteins in the bacterial cell made and being expressed at a particular time and under the conditions in which the bacterial cell is grown. Although all proteins are encoded in the DNA and are translated from the mRNA, different levels of information can be obtained by exploring the proteins directly using proteomics.
