Proteomic Approaches for
Studying Alcoholism and
Alcohol-Induced Organ Damage
Susanne Hiller-Sturmhöfel, Ph.D; Josip Sobin; and R. Dayne Mayfield, Ph.D.
Proteomics research is concerned with the analysis of all proteins found in an organism, tissue, cell
type, or cellular structure. The shotgun proteomic approach, which involves two-dimensional gel
electrophoresis or liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (MS), is used to identify
novel proteins affected by alcohol. More targeted analyses study protein–protein interactions using such
techniques as the yeast two-hybrid system, affinity chromatography, or immunoprecipitation. Finally,
proteomic strategies can be combined with genomic research findings using computer analyses (i.e., in
silico). All of these approaches have been used i