Proteomics encompasses the large-scale study of the entire collection of proteins of an organism or system. Although great technical progress in this field has granted deeper insight into the cellular network, a challenge is still presented by the enormous range of protein abundance, dynamics, modifications and interactions. Proteomic techniques, and in particular mass spectrometry, provide very powerful tools to address these questions by identifying proteins, quantifying their expression levels, and determining post-translational modifications. In addition, in conjunction with molecular biology and biochemistry this provides a powerful means to identify protein complexes. Downstream bioinformatic tools complete the proteomic toolbox for functional annotation and interpretation.
This course is designed for scientists who are starting in the field of proteomics, and it will focus on the analysis of proteins by mass spectrometry and the subsequent computer-based data analysis. The participants will gain hands-on experience in the purification and identification of protein complexes and in defining cellular proteomes by mass spectrometry. In addition, they will get a theoretical background in current approaches in proteomics, including an introduction to various mass spectrometric technologies. The course is mainly aimed at PhD students, postdoctoral fellows or other scientists with a solid background in molecular biology and textbook biochemistry. No previous experience in mass spectrometry is required.