Protein Prospector (tool)

RRID:SCR_014558

A package of over twenty mass spectrometry-based tools primarily geared toward proteomic data analysis and database mining. It can be run from the command line, but is primarily used through a web browser, and there is a public website that allows anyone to use the software without local installation. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis tools are used for database searching and identification of peptides, including post-translationally modified peptides and cross-linked peptides. Support for isotope and label-free quantification from this type of data is provided. MS-Viewer software allows sharing and displaying of annotated spectra from many different tandem mass spectrometry data analysis packages. Other tools include software for analyzing peptide mass fingerprinting data (MS-Fit); prediction of theoretical fragmentation of peptides (MS-Product); theoretical chemical or enzymatic digestion of proteins (MS-Digest); and theoretical modeling of the isotope distribution of any chemical, including peptides (MS-Isotope). Searches using amino acid sequence can be used to identify homologous peptides in a database (MS-Pattern); the use of the combination of amino acid sequence and masses can be used for homologous peptide and protein identification using MS-Homology. Tandem mass spectrometry peak list files can be filtered for the presence of certain peaks or neutral losses using MS-Filter. Given a list of proteins, MS-Bridge can report all potential cross-linked peptide combinations of a specified mass. Given a precursor peptide mass and information about known amino acid presence, absence, or modifications, MS-Comp can report all amino acid combinations that could lead to the observed mass.