Electrochemical methods for detection of post-translational modifications of proteins

Post-translational modifications of proteins play a key role in the regulation of various cellular processes. The analysis and identification of post-translational modifications are probably the most versatile and difficult, but also most frequently studied area of interest in proteomics research. This review focuses on the electroactivity of amino acids as a tool for analysis of post-translational modifications of proteins. The most attention is paid to the electrochemical detection of phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and glycosylation of proteins, to the best-studied and functionally-significant modifications, and, also, to the electrochemical analysis of activity of enzymes responsible for carrying out phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of proteins. Recent advances in electrochemistry with special references to proteomics are outlined and innovative technologies for protein detection are highlighted. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.