Plants, as all other living organisms depend on proteins to perform most of their vital functions. The name protein comes from the Greek πρώτα (“prota”), meaning “of primary importance”. Proteins are the functional molecules that drive metabolic and regulatory pathways in a cell. Proteomics, i.e. the large-scale analysis of proteins in biological systems at a certain time point, aims to identify all proteins present and to characterize their qualitative and quantitative modifications, for example in response to environmental changes. Proteomics is a relatively recent technology currently undergoing fast development and growth, logically complementing the genomic and transcriptomic studies as well as the other emerging field of metabolomics. Although protocols have been developed to perform proteomic analysis in the human, animal and microbial domains of life, the plant kingdom still awaits a systematic approach for proteome analysis. This proposal aims to build up expertise in plant proteomics through an integrated network of European scientists. Tools for proteome analysis in fundamental and applied plant research areas will be developed and shared, to generate fundamental information about plant metabolism, investigate responses to environmental constraints and assess food quality. This proposal will also increase public understanding for new technologies, critical for further development by the industry.
Keywords: Mass spectrometry, Post-translational modifications, Protein-protein interactions, Plant proteome, Systems biology
