Multidimensional analysis of protein locations

A thesis on "Analyzing Proteome Topology and Function by Automated Multidimensional Fluorescence Microscopy" indicates that the analysis of protein has entered the age of topology.

According to the thesis, scientists have previously described a technique termed multi-epitope-ligand kartographie (MELK) (henceforth referred to as multi-epitope-ligand cartography [MELC]), that can map the location of several proteins in the one cell or tissue sample using sequential rounds of fluorescent detection in situ. This thesis shows that MELC can locate at least a hundred molecules in a single sample and describes an approach in which proteins detected in each data point are represented as a multidimensional vector.

Proteins are the most important part of a cell's structure. Establishing how networks of proteins associate in time and space to function is an important task in post-genomic research. The formation of interactive networks within a cell requires proteins to be in the right place at the right time and in concentrated amounts. Molecular networks, which enable specific cellular functions, follow a unique protein colocation and anti-colocation code, the thesis findings showed.

The technology has been used to analyze patients with cancer, chronic neuropathic pain and psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and a large amount of complicated data has been acquired. The technology may facilitate the development of diagnostics and targeted therapies.

Ten scientists contributed to the thesis, including Walter Schubert, from Otto-von-Guericke-University in Magdeburg, Germany, and Andreas W. M. Dress, from the CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology (PICB) and the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences (SIBS), China.

By People's Daily Online