Peptidomics research

Peptidomic research provides access to a huge number of potentially or factually active components which is an invaluable source of peptide dmg leads. The first steps in medically oriented peptidomic studies will be discussed. 

Biological, individual, and variations between individuals (such as gender, age, and nutrition) affect peptidomes and require careful consideration in order to find valid biomarkers. A few, equally important factors for successful proteomic biomarker research are high sample quality, high sensitivity, and reproducibility that depend on proper selection of the high quality samples. 

Over 300 peptides isolated in our laboratory were studied in one or more tumor or normal cell cultures [39-44]. Part of the results obtained is summarized in Table 2.3. Over 75% of the peptides showed pronounced proliferative or antiproliferative activity in at least one cell type (Fig. 2.3). As a rule, tumor cells are more sensitive to peptide action. Besides the cell type, experimental conditions such as cell density or composition of the culture medium also affected the overall effect. In several cases (13%, Fig. 2.3) even the sign of the effect was peptide concentration dependent. Generally, experiments with cell cultures conform with the view that the main physiological function of cell and tissue peptidomes is control of long term processes and the homeostatic balance (i.e. cell differentiation, proliferation and elimination). The overall effect of peptide pools is achieved by concerted action of total sets of peptides rather than by single components. The molecular mechanisms of peptide action in cells requires concrete study in each individual case and are the subject of current research. 

Numerous areas of medical research, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and degenerative diseases will benefit from the novel opportunities offered by peptidomics technologies. 

Peptidomics provides many new challenges beyond the application of standard proteomics techniques in the characterisation of peptides (Jurgens Schrader, 2002). It comes from the recognition that many of the techniques applied to the study of proteins cannot be employed so easily to the analysis of peptides. Whereas 2-D electrophoresis in combination with MS has become the comer stone of most proteomic research there are only a few approaches to date that describe and tackle the analysis of the peptidome. Here, are addressed some of the issues we are tackling in the development of our own peptidomic strategy for the discovery of novel placental peptide markers. 

Jurgens, M., and Schrader, M., 2002, Peptidomic approaches in proteomic research. Curr. Opin. Mol. Ther. 4 236-241. 

---