Integrated multi-level quality control for proteomic profiling studies using mass spectrometry

Background: Proteomic profiling using mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the most promising methods for the analysis of complex biological samples such as urine, serum and tissue for biomarker discovery. Such experiments are often conducted using MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight) and SELDI-TOF (surface-enhanced laser desorption/ ionisation time-of-flight) MS. Using such profiling methods it is possible to identify changes in protein expression that differentiate disease states and individual proteins or patterns that may be useful as potential biomarkers. However, the incorporation of quality control (QC) processes that allow the identification of low quality spectra reliably and hence allow the removal of such data before further analysis is often overlooked. In this paper we describe rigorous methods for the assessment of quality of spectral data. These procedures are presented in a user-friendly, webbased program. The data obtained post-QC is then...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: BMCBI
• Authors: David A. Cairns, David N. Perkins, Anthea J. Stanley, Douglas Thompson, Jennifer H. Barrett, Peter J. Selby, Rosamonde E. Banks
• Keywords: Analysis, BMCBI 2008, Spectral Data, Variance