What are the latest technological advances for studying cell membrane proteins? Podcast host Lisandra de Castro Brás (East Carolina University) interviews lead author Tony Gramolini (University of Toronto) and expert Sarah Parker (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) about the latest Review by Lee et al, which outlines challenges in the development of heart disease therapies related to the limited number of functional target proteins in cell surface receptors. The authors also examine potential limitations and workarounds for analyzing hydrophobic membrane proteins, discuss the importance of spatial location during sample harvesting, and review the potential of mass spectrometry tools for generation of robust and ample data. Our experts discuss a wide array of cutting-edge proteomic analysis tools, including tissue cytof, single-cell proteomics, and mass spectrometry, and give special attention to techniques for interrogating low-abundant proteins. This leads to an in-depth exchange about data reporting in research articles. What do the authors think is on the horizon for advanced interrogation of post-translational modifications and integrated AI-based analysis of the vast amounts of data produced by proteomic profiling? Listen to find out.

Shin-Haw Lee, Da Hye Kim, Uros Kuzmanov, Anthony O. Gramolini Membrane proteomic profiling of the heart: past, present, and future Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published January 15, 2021. DOI: doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00659.2020