The structures of proteins are directly related to their biological functions. The regulation of protein functions mainly depends on the dynamic regulation of their conformations and interactions. The study of protein structures and functions plays an essential role in the field of life science, which is also an important direction of proteomics development. The emergence of proteomics has led to major technological advances in mass spectrometry (MS). These advancements have not only benefitted MS-based high-throughput proteomics but have also increased the impact of MS in the fields of structural and molecular biology. This review briefly describes the principles, progresses and applications of the MS-based structural proteomics methods in recent years, including the native MS analysis of active proteins, limited proteolysis, chemical cross-linking, hydrogen-deuterium exchange, covalent labeling, and thermal proteome profiling. Finally, future development of the structural proteomics was summarized and prospected.
Keywords: mass spectrometry (MS); protein interaction; review; structural proteomics.