CE–MS for proteomics: Advances in interface development and application

Capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry (CE–MS) has emerged as a powerful technique for the analysis of proteins and peptides. Over the past few years, significant progress has been made in the development of novel and more effective interfaces for hyphenating CE to MS. This review provides an overview of these new interfacing techniques for coupling CE to MS, covering the scientific literature from January 2007 to December 2011. The potential of these new CE–MS interfacing techniques is demonstrated within the field of (clinical) proteomics, more specifically “bottom-up” proteomics, by showing examples of the analysis of various biological samples. The relevant papers on CE–MS for proteomics are comprehensively summarized in tables, including, e.g. information on sample type and pretreatment, interfacing and MS detection mode. Finally, general conclusions and future perspectives are provided.

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► Recent developments and applications of CE–MS in proteomics are provided.
► Attention paid to emerging technological developments regarding CE–MS interfacing.
► Novel interfacing techniques enable new possibilities for CE–MS in proteomics.
► Applicability of CE–MS illustrated for biological and clinical proteomics studies.