Large-scale functional analysis using peptide or protein arrays
Alia Qureshi Emili1, 2
& Gerard Cagney1
1
Departments of Genetics and Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
2
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
Correspondence should be addressed to Gerard Cagney gcagney@u.washington.eduhigh-throughput screeningprotein functionmicroarray
The array format for analyzing peptide and protein function offers an attractive experimental alternative to traditional library screens. Powerful new approaches have recently been described, ranging from synthetic peptide arrays to whole proteins expressed in living cells. Comprehensive sets of purified peptides and proteins permit high-throughput screening for discrete biochemical properties, whereas formats involving living cells facilitate large-scale genetic screening for novel biological activities. In the past year, three major genome-scale studies using yeast as a model organism have investigated different aspects of protein function, including biochemical activities, gene disruption phenotypes, and protein−protein interactions. Such studies show that protein arrays can be used to examine in parallel the functions of thousands of proteins previously known only by their DNA sequence.
