Proteoom

Proteoom is the term used to describe the complete set of proteins expressed by a cell, tissue, organism, or biological sample at a given time. In English-language contexts the more common term is proteome, but proteoom is used in some languages and fields to refer to the same concept. The proteoom is dynamic and context-dependent, reflecting transcriptional programs, translation efficiency, splicing, and a wide range of post-translational modifications. It changes with development, environmental conditions, and disease states, and it interacts within cellular networks.

The proteoom includes canonical protein products, alternative isoforms, modified forms, and protein complexes, as well as their subcellular localizations and interaction partners. Characterizing the proteoom requires distinguishing these components and quantifying their abundances under specific conditions. High-throughput technologies, especially mass spectrometry-based proteomics, are central to current analyses. Typical workflows involve sample preparation, separation, mass spectrometric measurement, and computational inference to identify proteins and estimate quantities. Data are organized in proteome databases and shared through public repositories, with common resources including UniProt for protein knowledge and ProteomeXchange/PRIDE for deposited datasets.

Applications of proteoom studies include biomarker discovery, elucidation of disease mechanisms, identification of drug targets, and integration into systems biology models. Proteoom analyses support comparative proteomics across species, tissues, and conditions, contributing to personalized medicine and biotechnology. Challenges include the broad dynamic range of protein expression, incomplete coverage of low-abundance or membrane proteins, extensive post-translational modification, and the need for standardized data formats and annotations.