Protein Sequencing

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Frederic Sanger first time achieved complete sequence of protein (bovine insulin) in 1953. For his work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize of Chemistry in (1958).

  Protein Sequencing refers to the techniques employed to determine the amino acid sequence of a protein. There are several applications of Protein Sequencing, which are:-

a)  Identification of the protein family to which a particular protein belongs and finding the evolutionary history of that protein. Function prediction.

b).  Prediction of the cellular localization of the protein based on its target sequence (sequence of amino acids at the N terminal end of the protein which determines the location of the protein inside the cell).

c).  Prediction of the sequence of the gene encoding the particular protein.

d). Discovering the structure and function of a protein through various computational methods and experimental methods.

Till date several methods have been utilized for Protein Sequencing. Two main methods include Edman degradation and Mass Spectrometry. Protein sequence can also be generated from the DNA/mRNA sequence that codes for the protein, which has been explained in details in the recombinant DNA section. Here, we have discussed the most important methods used for Protein Sequencing and the pros and cons of each method.