Strategies for Membrane Protein Analysis by Mass Spectrometry

Membrane proteins are of utmost importance in different cellular processes including: cell signaling, substrate transport, homeostasis control, immune surveillance, etc. In addition, they represent between 60% and 70% of the therapeutic targets currently used. Therefore, the identification and characterization of these proteins is crucial in many fields of research. Although proteomics has undergone an extraordinary advance in recent years thanks to the development of mass spectrometry, the methods used for the identification and quantification of soluble proteins generally fail to be used for membrane proteins, mainly due to their hydrophobic character. In this chapter, we revised the different alternatives, modifications and improvements that have been developed over the years with the aim of adapting the methods used in proteomics to the particular study of membrane proteins, thus allowing to increase the number of membrane proteins identified, as well as their coverage.