What is "proteomics"

n. (context biochemistry English) The branch of molecular biology that studies the set of proteins expressed by the genome of an organism

n. the branch of genetics that studies the full set of proteins encoded by a genome

Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological metabolic pathways of cells. The term proteomics was first coined in 1997 to make an analogy with genomics, the study of the genome. The word proteome is a portmanteau of protein and genome, and was coined by Marc Wilkins in 1994 while working on the concept as a PhD student.

The proteome is the entire set of proteins, produced or modified by an organism or system. This varies with time and distinct requirements, or stresses, that a cell or organism undergoes. Proteomics is an interdisciplinary domain that has benefited greatly from the genetic information of the Human Genome Project; it is also emerging scientific research and exploration of proteomes from the overall level of intracellular protein composition, structure, and its own unique activity patterns. It is an important component of functional genomics.

While proteomics generally refers to the large-scale experimental analysis of proteins, it is often specifically used for protein purification and mass spectrometry.

Proteomics is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering topics including whole proteome analysis of organisms, protein expression profiling, disease, pharmaceutical, agricultural and biotechnological applications, and analysis of cellular systems, organelles and protein complexes. It is published by Wiley VCH and the current editor-in-chief is Lorna Stimson.

The 2012 impact factor was 4.132. In 2015, the journal was ranked 13th out of 77 publications in "Biochemical Research Methods" by Thomson Reuters and reported an impact Factor of 4.079.