Ngounou Wetie Armand G, Sokolowska Izabela, Wormwood Kelly, Beglinger Katherine, Michel Tanja Maria, Thome Johannes, Darie Costel C, Woods Alisa G
Biochemistry and Proteomics Group, Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699-5810 USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock, Rostock, Gehlsheimer Straße 20, D-18147 Germany.
J Mol Psychiatry. 2013 Jun 5;1(1):8. doi: 10.1186/2049-9256-1-8. eCollection 2013.
The search for molecules that can act as potential biomarkers is increasing in the scientific community, including in the field of psychiatry. The field of proteomics is evolving and its indispensability for identifying biomarkers is clear. Among proteomic tools, mass spectrometry is the core technique for qualitative and quantitative identification of protein markers. While significant progress has been made in the understanding of biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, psychiatric disorders have not been as extensively investigated. Recent and successful applications of mass spectrometry-based proteomics in fields such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative disorders suggest a similar path for psychiatric disorders. In this brief review, we describe mass spectrometry and its use in psychiatric biomarker research and highlight some of the possible challenges of undertaking this type of work. Further, specific examples of candidate biomarkers are highlighted. A short comparison of proteomic with genomic methods for biomarker discovery research is presented. In summary, mass spectrometry-based techniques may greatly facilitate ongoing efforts to understand molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders.
在科学界，包括精神病学领域，寻找可作为潜在生物标志物的分子的研究日益增多。蛋白质组学领域不断发展，其在识别生物标志物方面的不可或缺性显而易见。在蛋白质组学工具中，质谱分析法是定性和定量鉴定蛋白质标志物的核心技术。虽然在理解阿尔茨海默病、多发性硬化症和帕金森病等神经退行性疾病的生物标志物方面已取得重大进展，但精神疾病尚未得到如此广泛的研究。基于质谱的蛋白质组学最近在心血管疾病、癌症、传染病和神经退行性疾病等领域的成功应用，为精神疾病研究指明了一条相似的道路。在这篇简短的综述中，我们描述了质谱分析法及其在精神疾病生物标志物研究中的应用，并强调了开展这类工作可能面临的一些挑战。此外，还突出了候选生物标志物的具体实例。本文还对蛋白质组学和基因组学用于生物标志物发现研究的方法进行了简要比较。总之，基于质谱的技术可能极大地促进目前为理解精神疾病分子机制所做的努力。
