Proteins have evolved to carry out very specific functions within the cell by interacting with a diverse set of biomolecules. Understanding how a protein's higher order structure relates to its function is important for defining the molecular basis of these interactions. In recent years, mass spectrometry has become an important tool for dissecting protein structure and function. Using electrospray ionization (ESI)- and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-based approaches, it has been possible to monitor protein folding, characterize noncovalent protein complexes, and assess the contribution of individual amino acid residues to a protein's function. Here, it is our goal to summarize these approaches and highlight recent, biologically relevant applications where mass spectrometry has provided unique insight into the mysteries of protein structure and function.

中文翻译：

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质谱作为蛋白质结构和功能的读数。

蛋白质已经进化为通过与多种生物分子相互作用而在细胞内执行非常特定的功能。了解蛋白质的高级结构与其功能之间的关系对于定义这些相互作用的分子基础非常重要。近年来，质谱分析已成为剖析蛋白质结构和功能的重要工具。使用基于电喷雾电离（ESI）和基质辅助激光解吸/电离（MALDI）的方法，可以监视蛋白质折叠，表征非共价蛋白质复合物并评估单个氨基酸残基对蛋白质功能的贡献。在这里，我们的目标是总结这些方法并重点介绍最近的，