Diagonal chromatography to study plant protein modifications

•Diagonal chromatography was recently revisited for contemporary proteomics.•Protein processing can be efficiently characterized by diagonal chromatography.•Increased coverage of plant protein ubiquitination events•Methionine oxidation is now revealed on a proteome-wide level.

An interesting asset of diagonal chromatography, which we have introduced for contemporary proteome research, is its high versatility concerning proteomic applications. Indeed, the peptide modification or sorting step that is required between consecutive peptide separations can easily be altered and thereby allows for the enrichment of specific, though different types of peptides. Here, we focus on the application of diagonal chromatography for the study of modifications of plant proteins. In particular, we show how diagonal chromatography allows for studying proteins processed by proteases, protein ubiquitination, and the oxidation of protein-bound methionines. We discuss the actual sorting steps needed for each of these applications and the obtained results. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Plant Proteomics— a bridge between fundamental processes and crop production, edited by Dr. Hans-Peter Mock.