Recent Mass Spectrometry Technologies in Pharmacoproteomics

Among the various techniques available to catalog protein expression, define protein interactions, and identify sites of protein modification after drug administration, mass spectrometry (MS) has gained popularity because of its ability to handle the complexities associated with proteomes. Although other techniques, such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE), two-hybrid analysis, and protein microarrays, are quite useful in proteomics, they still need to achieve the depth of informative proteome analysis or coverage seen with mass spectrometry. The use of MS in pharmacoproteomics does not involve the application of a single technique for all purposes but rather a combination of methodologies, each with strengths suited to answer the relevant biological question. For any MS experiment, consideration should be given to the type of instrumentation, fragmentation method, and analysis strategy best suited to the sample. It is now possible to answer various biological questions with access to the right mass spectrometer. Many recent developments in mass spectrometry technologies have focused on pharmacoproteomics. This chapter will focus on these topics, emphasizing new developments and their recent applications.