Microbial ecosystems play a major role in biogeochemical cycles, plant development and animal health. How microorganisms interact with each other, with their hosts, and with their environment are key questions. Understanding the functioning of microbial communities requires identifying the diversity of microorganisms present and quantifying the numerous molecular players in action. Proteins are the workhorses of biological systems. Metaproteomics is a key technology for such functional studies as it can provide for these particularly complex samples four types of answers: 1) identification of the taxa present, 2) quantification of the biomass of these organisms, 3) identification of the proteins of these taxa and their function, and 4) overall functional representation of the biological system. Challenges in terms of mass spectrometry, interpretation and mining of results will be addressed.
Jean Armengaud (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1589-445X) is specialized in mass spectrometry for biology and more specifically in proteogenomics and metaproteomics. He manages the ProGénoMIX platform located near Avignon in France. He wishes to contribute to a better understanding of the functioning of complex biological systems and exploit this knowledge for medical and environmental purposes. He received his PhD in Biochemistry in 1994 at the University of Grenoble.
