Creative approaches using proximity labeling to gain new biological insights

Trends Biochem Sci. 2024 Mar;49(3):224-235. doi: 10.1016/j.tibs.2023.12.005. Epub 2023 Dec 30.

Abstract

At its most fundamental level, life is a collection of synchronized cellular processes driven by interactions among biomolecules. Proximity labeling has emerged as a powerful technique to capture these interactions in native settings, revealing previously unexplored elements of biology. This review highlights recent developments in proximity labeling, focusing on methods that push the fundamental technologies beyond the classic bait-prey paradigm, such as RNA-protein interactions, ligand/small-molecule-protein interactions, cell surface protein interactions, and subcellular protein trafficking. The advancement of proximity labeling methods to address different biological problems will accelerate our understanding of the complex biological systems that make up life.

Keywords: cell surface protein interactions; ligand–protein interactions; protein–RNA interactions; protein–protein interactions; proteomics; small-molecule target identification.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Membrane Proteins* / metabolism
  • Proteomics* / methods

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins