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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Mar 2.
Published in final edited form as: J Proteome Res. 2018 Feb 14;17(3):1321–1325. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.7b00851

Table 2.

Terms Defined for This Standard

term definition
descriptor Member of the tag. Could be a key-value pair or a keyless entry.
human readable A strong emphasis is placed on human readability for proteoform names. Proteoforms should be named in a manner that allows general audience members to know exactly the sequence of amino acids and the positions of any modifications, described in as accurate detail as possible.
key An optional element of a descriptor that specifies the descriptor type. It must be followed by a colon and a value.
machine readable Adherence to the conventions described above should facilitate the creation and utilization of generic parsers so that proteoforms can be exchanged between users using a computer interface.
modification Includes the addition and subtraction of specific atoms, atom combinations, and/or masses at a specific residue in a proteoform.
tag The specified way of writing a localized modification. Everything between “[” and “]” (inclusive). A collection of descriptors.
value Contents of a descriptor, such as the mass, chemical composition, or modification name.