Fehérjeszekvenálás

Fehérjeszekvenálás, also known as protein sequencing, is the process of determining the precise order of amino acids in a protein. This sequence is crucial for understanding a protein's structure, function, and interactions within a biological system. Historically, protein sequencing was a laborious process relying on chemical methods like the Edman degradation. This technique involved sequentially removing and identifying amino acids from the N-terminus of a polypeptide chain. While effective, it was time-consuming and limited by the length of the protein that could be analyzed.

Modern advancements have largely shifted towards mass spectrometry-based approaches for protein sequencing. In these methods, proteins are first broken down into smaller peptides using enzymatic digestion. These peptides are then ionized and their mass-to-charge ratio is measured. By analyzing the fragmentation patterns of these ions, the amino acid sequence of each peptide can be deduced. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is a key technique, where a peptide ion is selected, fragmented, and then analyzed again to provide detailed sequence information. These high-throughput methods allow for the rapid and accurate sequencing of numerous proteins from complex biological samples. The resulting amino acid sequences are invaluable for identifying proteins, discovering post-translational modifications, and advancing our understanding of molecular biology and disease.