Exploring neuropeptide signalling through proteomics and peptidomics

Neuropeptides are neuro-endocrine signaling molecules capable of signaling as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators or neurohormones. Studying how neuropeptide signaling is integrated in endocrine pathways and how neuropeptides regulate endogenous processes is crucial to understanding how multicellular organisms respond to environmental and internal cues. Areas covered: This review will cover proteomics and peptidomics approaches used in researching peptide signaling systems and breakthroughs that were achieved in this field. Both differential mass spectrometry and reverse genetic approaches are commonly used to study neuropeptidergic signaling. The field of proteomics quickly developed in the past decades and expanded from gel-based approaches to include advanced liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. We explore how proteomics is used to reveal neuropeptide maturation and identify downstream targets of neuropeptide signaling pathways. We show how peptidomics differs from standard proteomics approaches and how it is used to study both neuropeptide processing and signal pathway identification. Expert commentary: Thanks to recent advancements in isolation techniques and increased sensitivity of equipment, proteomics and peptidomics studies of neuropeptide signaling are contributing increasingly to elucidating functional implications of endocrine signaling. Further technical progress should allow for full peptidomic profiling of single neurons, eventually providing us with a complete comprehension of endocrine signaling.