Progress in Identification of Protein Phosphorylation by Mass Spectrometry

Protein phosphorylation is a key event in signal transduction. To understand signaling processes, we must first acquire an inventory of phosphoproteins and their phosphorylation sites under different conditions. Because phosphorylation is a dynamic process, elucidation of signaling networks also requires quantitation of these phosphorylation events. In this article, we outline several methods for enrichment of phosphorylated proteins and peptides and discuss various options for their identification and quantification with special emphasis on mass spectrometry based techniques.