Abstract
Progress is reviewed towards the development of a global strategy that aims to extend the
sensitivity, dynamic range, comprehensiveness and throughput of proteomic measurements
based upon the use of high performance separations and mass spectrometry. The approach
uses high accuracy mass measurements from Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance
mass spectrometry (FTICR) to validate peptide ‘accurate mass tags’ (AMTs) produced by
global protein enzymatic digestions for a specific organism, tissue or cell type from
‘potential mass tags’ tentatively identified using conventional tandem mass spectrometry
(MS/MS). This provides the basis for subsequent measurements without the need for MS/
MS. High resolution capillary liquid chromatography separations combined with high
sensitivity, and high resolution accurate FTICR measurements are shown to be capable of
characterizing peptide mixtures of more than