Mapping the plant proteome: tools for surveying coordinating pathways

Plants rapidly respond to environmental fluctuations through coordinated, multi-scalar regulation, enabling complex reactions despite their inherently sessile nature. In particular, protein post-translational signaling and protein-protein interactions combine to manipulate cellular responses and regulate plant homeostasis with precise temporal and spatial control. Understanding these proteomic networks are essential to addressing ongoing global crises, including those of food security, rising global temperatures, and the need for renewable materials and fuels. Technological advances in mass spectrometry-based proteomics are enabling investigations of unprecedented depth, and are increasingly being optimized for and applied to plant systems. This review highlights recent advances in plant proteomics, with an emphasis on spatially and temporally resolved analysis of post-translational modifications and protein interactions. It also details the necessity for generation of a comprehensive plant cell atlas while highlighting recent accomplishments within the field.

Automated summary

Plants respond rapidly to environmental fluctuations through protein post-translational signalling and protein-protein interactions, enabling precise temporal and spatial control of cellular responses. The technological advances in mass spectrometry-based proteomics have enabled unprecedented investigations into plant systems, with a focus on analyzing post-translational modifications and protein interactions. It is essential to understand these proteomic networks for addressing global crises and advancing research in plant biology.