Quantitative proteomics for epigenetics.

Mass spectrometry has made many contributions to the chromatin field through the mapping of histone modifications and the identification of protein complexes involved in gene regulation. MS-based proteomics has now evolved from the identification of single protein spots in gels to the identification and quantification of thousands of proteins in complex mixtures. Quantitative approaches also allow comparative and time-resolved analysis of post-translational modifications. An important emerging field is the unbiased interaction analysis of proteins with other proteins, defined protein modifications, specific DNA and RNA sequences, and small molecules. Quantitative proteomics can also accurately monitor whole proteome changes in response to perturbation of the gene expression machinery. We provide an up-to-date review of modern quantitative proteomic technology and its applications in the field of epigenetics.