Abstract
Despite decades of accumulated knowledge about proteins and their post-translational modifications (PTMs), numerous questions remain regarding their molecular composition and biological function. One of the most fundamental queries is the extent to which the combinations of DNA-, RNA- and PTM-level variations explode the complexity of the human proteome. Here, we outline what we know from current databases and measurement strategies including mass spectrometry–based proteomics. In doing so, we examine prevailing notions about the number of modifications displayed on human proteins and how they combine to generate the protein diversity underlying health and disease. We frame central issues regarding determination of protein-level variation and PTMs, including some paradoxes present in the field today. We use this framework to assess existing data and to ask the question, “How many distinct primary structures of proteins (proteoforms) are created from the 20,300 human genes?” We also explore prospects for improving measurements to better regularize protein-level biology and efficiently associate PTMs to function and phenotype.
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Acknowledgements
This article was enabled through generous funding of the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Program (Award 11715 to N.L.K.), which supports the curation of a human proteoform atlas (http://allen.kelleher.northwestern.edu). N.L.K. also acknowledges the NIH (P41 GM108569) and H. Thomas, M. Mullowney and S. Bratanch for their support and assistance in constructing this collaborative manuscript.
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Aebersold, R., Agar, J., Amster, I. et al. How many human proteoforms are there?. Nat Chem Biol 14, 206–214 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.2576
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.2576
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