Advantages and Disadvantages of iTRAQ in Proteomics

Proteomics is an emerging discipline that studies the overall problems of all protein expression, modification, interaction, function, and networks. In this discipline, quantitative analysis of proteins is considered one of the most important technologies. Of these, the iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) technology has been widely used in proteomic quantitation. The main advantages of this technology lie in its flexibility and scalability, but there are also potential disadvantages. By analyzing its pros and cons, we can improve this technology better, providing more accurate and reliable data for drug research.

 

Advantages

1. Precision

iTRAQ covers established mass spectrometry values and with the advantage of isotope labeling, it achieves a deviation as low as one percent, ensuring the accuracy and comparability of its quantitation results.

 

2. Diverse Sample Handling

iTRAQ provides the possibility for researchers to handle multiple samples at the same time. For example, iTRAQ8plex can handle eight different samples at the same time, greatly improving the efficiency of sample processing.

 

Disadvantages

1. Solubility Issues

Although the use of iTRAQ has to some extent resolved the issue of poor sample solubility, the problem of solubility differences in the sample preparation process still seriously affects the labeling efficiency of iTRAQ, thus affecting the determination results.

 

2. Protein Coverage

Despite the wide application of iTRAQ, its coverage is often limited by proteins that are difficult to ionize or digest, making it impossible to accurately quantify many important disease-related proteins.

 

Whether in basic science research, clinical medicine, or drug research and development, we cannot ignore the quantitative analysis of proteins. Although iTRAQ has its unique advantages and some improvable disadvantages, its application in proteomics still has great potential. Therefore, our research goal should be to continuously seek breakthroughs and improvements in improving the accuracy of iTRAQ, sample adaptability, protein coverage, and so on. Through exploration, we can achieve more refined and broader protein quantitative analysis to better meet the needs of future biomedical research.