Bioinformatics Is Not Limited to Genomic Analyses

Essay

Bioinformatics is not limited to genomic analyses. Its approaches can be used to analyze any of the new methods of experimentation that give rise to datasets. One application is in mass spectrometry, in which protein samples are partially cleaved, giving rise to a series of shorter peptides of about 20 amino acids each. These are then ionized and placed in a mass spectrometer that measures the unique mass-to-charge ratio of each peptide. What is the bioinformatic strategy for subsequent identification of the individual peptides?