What Is the Proteome?

In the week we took off, I spent my time researching a couple of fascinating studies. We all have different ideas of what’s fun, don’t we? For me, getting to research topics in depth is a refreshing opportunity to learn something new. I’m going to share part of what I learned in the next several memos and it’s all about the proteome.

Obvious question: what is the proteome? A proteome is the complete set of proteins expressed by an organism—same idea as the microbiome, but with proteins instead of microbes. That includes obvious proteins such as muscle, hormones such as insulin, or many of the thousands of enzymes and other proteins the body makes. Those proteins may be produced only during specific circumstances and in response to events within and outside the body. The proteins can be systemic or they can occur in individual tissues and cells.

More than what, why is the proteome important? Research has demonstrated that there’s variability in the proteome at specific times during life. The idea is to identify which proteins change and which ones are associated with a healthier life. That’s the first step and I’ll cover a study that did just that on Saturday.

Tomorrow is the monthly Insider conference call. Check out the membership and if you become an Insider before 8 p.m. Wednesday, you can take part.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Aging Cell. 2018;17:e12799. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12799