Recent Advancement of Chemical Derivatization and Its Applications to High Sensitive Analysis of Peptide in Mass Spectrometry

Shotgun based strategy is a widely used method in proteome research. However, due to the high complexity and wide dynamic range, the detection sensitivity of peptides, especially for those with low abundance and low ionization efficiency, still can hardly meet the requirements. Chemical derivatization has been proved to be one of the most promising methods. Herein, the recent progress in the development of derivatization reagents targeting for the peptides as well as those with post-translational modifications, and its applications in high sensitive analysis in mass spectrometry are reviewed. Furthermore, the future research directions and the potential application in proteome research are discussed.