proteomics

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the large-scale study of the complete set of proteins expressed by a cell, tissue, or organism at a given time — the proteome — including their identities, quantities, structures, interactions, and functional states; unlike the genome, which is largely fixed, the proteome is highly dynamic, changing in response to developmental stage, environmental conditions, disease, and drug treatment; technologies driving proteomics include mass spectrometry, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and protein microarrays; proteomics is essential for understanding how genes are expressed at the protein level, identifying disease biomarkers, discovering drug targets, and elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular processes; it complements genomics and transcriptomics as part of the integrated study of biological systems