Figure 3.

Integration of mass spectrometry data enhances understanding of biological pathways

A hybrid approach combining information from different types of mass spectrometry (MS) with high-resolution cryo-EM study has the potential to illuminate a biological process in more details. Results obtained from different types of MS experiments (posttranslational modifications of proteins [from native MS], composition of the sample [from denaturing MS], binding partners and residues involved [from XL-MS], characterization of the interacting partners [from AP-MS], and protein structure and confirmation [from HDX-MS]) are shown as droplets which together form a pool of information. Cutting-edge cryo-EM imaging and data processing techniques generate high-resolution 3D structures (shown in middle). Combining the information gathered from mass spectrometry with the cryo-EM structural analysis, for example, reveals the sequential steps of the ribosomal 50S subunit assembly (Davis et al., 2016) (depicted schematically at the bottom).