Abstract

Recent successes illustrate the role of mass spectrometry-based proteomics as an indispensable tool for molecular and cellular biology and for the emerging field of systems biology. These include the study of protein–protein interactions via affinity-based isolations on a small and proteome-wide scale, the mapping of numerous organelles, the concurrent description of the malaria parasite genome and proteome, and the generation of quantitative protein profiles from diverse species. The ability of mass spectrometry to identify and, increasingly, to precisely quantify thousands of proteins from complex samples can be expected to impact broadly on biology and medicine.

1. Institute for Systems Biology, 1441 North 34th Street, Seattle, Washington 98103-8904, USA
   (e-mail: Email: raebersold@systemsbiology.org)
2. Center for Experimental BioInformatics(CEBI), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
   (e-mail: Email: mann@bmb.sdu.dk)