Spectral library searching for peptide identification via tandem MS.

Spectral library searching is a new approach in proteomic data analysis that promises to address some of the shortcomings of sequence database searching, currently the dominant method for inferring peptide identifications from tandem mass spectra. In spectral searching, a spectral library is first meticulously compiled from a large collection of previously observed and identified peptide MS/MS spectra. The unknown spectrum can then be identified by comparing it to all the candidates in the spectral library for the best match. It offers the benefits of tremendous speed gain and increase in sensitivity and selectivity, compared to sequence searching. This article provides a concise roadmap for the proteomics researchers to start using spectral library searching in their data analysis workflow.