Amino acid analysis and protein database compositional search as a rapid and inexpensive method to identify proteins.
The identification of protein samples in minute quantities of protein samples, e.g., from two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis, is an everyday problem in biology laboratories. Here we show that computer-assisted amino acid analysis can fulfill this task. Amino acid analysis data can be used to compare the amino acid composition of an unknown protein with protein compositions in a database (compositional search). Routine amino acid analysis data can, despite a certain margin of error, be used to identify a protein. Compared to protein sequencing, amino analysis is much cheaper, faster, and allows higher sample throughput. Thus, the method may replace protein sequencing as a first attempt in identification, provided a homolog can be found in the database.
European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Hobohm
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Houthaeve
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Sander
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D007526:Isoelectric Point; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D012984:Software
D000596:Amino Acids; D011506:Proteins