Proteomics in pulmonary medicine

Proteomics is the study of the entire protein complement of the genome (the proteome) in a biological system. Proteomic studies require a multidisciplinary approach and have only been practical with the convergence of technical and methodologic improvements including the following: advances in mass spectrometry and genomic sequencing that now permit the identification and relative quantization of small amounts (femtomole) of nearly any single protein; new methods in gel electrophoresis that allow the detection of subtle changes in protein expression, including posttranslational modifications; automation and miniaturization that permit high-throughput analysis of clinical samples; and new bioinformatics and computational methods that facilitate analysis and interpretation of the abundant data that are generated by proteomics experiments. This convergence makes proteomics studies practical for pulmonary researchers using BAL fluid, lung tissue, blood, and exhaled breath condensates, and will facilitate the research of complex, multifactorial lung diseases such as acute lung injury and COPD. This review describes how proteomics experiments are conducted and interpreted, their limitations, and how proteomics has been used in clinical pulmonary medicine.