Approaching Drosophila development through proteomic tools and databases: At the hub of the post-genomic era

The past decade has witnessed an explosion in the growth of proteomics. The completion of numerous genome sequences, the development of powerful protein analytical technologies, as well as the design of innovative bioinformatics tools have marked the beginning of a new post-genomic era. Proteomics, the large-scale analysis of proteins in an organism, organ or organelle encompasses different aspects: (1) the identification, analysis of post-translational modifications and quantification of proteins; (2) the study of protein–protein interactions; and (3) the functional analysis of interactome networks. Here, we briefly summarize the emerging analytical tools and databases that are paving the way for studying Drosophila development by proteomic approaches.