Applications of Proteomic Technologies to Toxicology

Proteomics is the large-scale study of gene expression at the protein level. This cutting edge technology has been extensively applied to toxicology research recently. The up-to-date development of proteomics has presented the toxicology community with an unprecedented opportunity to reexamine conventional toxicological principles, methods and practices, and to transform this traditional subject into more informative and comprehensive science for a better understanding of the potential toxic mechanisms and/or modes of action, toxicity pathways, environmental biomarkers, and assessment of adverse human health risks. The application of proteomics and other OMICS technologies to toxicology has given rise to the new field of toxicology, systems toxicology. This book chapter provides an introduction to modern proteomic technologies and approaches, with particular reference to their applications to toxicology. Key proteomic technologies such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis based and mass spectrometry-based proteomic methods and approaches are described. Examples of recent applications of these technologies and methodologies to mechanistic toxicology and applied toxicology such as chemical toxicity testing and screening, clinical toxicology, drug discovery, environmental toxicity, and toxicity biomarker are presented. The discussion includes a focus on challenges and future directions of toxicoproteomics and systems toxicology. Keywords: proteomics; toxicology; toxicity pathways; protein expression; protein post-translational modification; protein biomarker; systems toxicology