Immobilized enzyme reactors in proteomics

Fast, efficient characterization of proteins is becoming one of the hottest topics in the bioanalytical community, especially for large-scale proteomic studies. As an attractive approach, protein digestion by enzymes supported on various matrices (referred to as immobilized enzyme reactors, IMERs) has recently attracted much attention. In this article, we present a critical overview of some highly efficient IMERs and related analytical systems. We give major coverage to applications of IMERs in proteomic analysis, including protein-expression profiling, characterization of proteins with post-translational modifications, and protein quantification. We also comment on promising trends for IMERs in proteomics. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.