| Proteomics has emerged over the past few years to reflect methods and the scientific field aimed at the large-scale analysis of proteins. In contrast to genomics, proteomics involves the study of post-translational modifications, general protein levels, protein-protein interactions and enzyme activity. Mass spectrometry has undergone tremendous advances recently and has surfaced as the premier tool for proteomics researchers due to its speed, resolution and accuracy for protein identification and quantification.; Many poorly understood biological and pathological processes could greatly benefit from proteomics, as most cellular functions are dependent on proteins. Prostate cancer (PCa) is one such disease that has been extensively studied using genomics methods but has only recently been analyzed using proteomics technologies.; The focus of this dissertation will be the application of mass spectrometry-based proteomics to PCa metastasis. Chapter 1 will outline many of the existing proteomics methods that have been applied to the study of tumor progression and metastasis. Chapter 2 will describe a novel application of quantitative proteomics to a model of PCa metastasis. Chapter 3 will provide an enhanced analysis in the same PCa metastatic model using novel quantification software and high mass accuracy instrumentation. Chapter 4 will demonstrate a novel application of the catch-and-release technology and mass spectrometry to activity-based proteomics in PCa metastasis, resulting in a streamlined, one-step approach to enzyme activity identification and quantification. Finally, Chapter 5 will provide a summary of this work as well as present future directions of quantitative and functional proteomics technologies and the roles they could play in the study of cancer. |
