Cystic fibrosis enters the proteomics scene: new answers to old questions.

The discovery in 1989 of the gene encoding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and its mutation as the primary cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), generated an optimistic reaction with respect to the development of potential therapies. This extraordinary milestone, however, represented only the initial key step in a long path. Many of the mechanisms that govern the pathogenesis of CF, the most commonly inherited lethal pulmonary disorder in Caucasians, remain even today unknown. As a continuation to genomic research, proteomics now offers the unique advantage to examine global alterations in the protein expression patterns of CF cells and tissues. The systematic use of this approach will probably provide new insights into the cellular mechanisms involved in CF dysfunctions, and should ultimately result in the finding of new prognostic markers, and in the generation of new therapies. In this article we review the current status of proteomic research applied to the study of CF, including CFTR-related interactomics, and evaluate the potential of these technologies for future investigations.