NEWS OF TH E WEEK
HUMAN PROTEOME MAP ASSEMBLED
nature13319). They found evidence for 18,097 proteins. The proteins the teams found account for 80–90% of those predicted to exist. The biggest gap is in the class of proteins known as G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs. Many of these missing GPCRs are thought to DRAFT CATALOGS: New databases be involved in taste and smell perception. Kuster says of human proteins will be many of them may be evolutionary remnants that are made publicly available no longer needed and thus not actually produced. Both studies included some surprises. For example, Pandey’s group found several proteins that are coded MAP OF THE HUMAN GENOME has existed by previously assumed noncoding RNAs. “Clearly at for more than a decade. A similar map of the least a subset of these noncoding RNAs are translated,” proteome—the complete catalog of proteins Pandey says. Kuster’s analysis likewise traced some proencoded by the genome—has not been assembled, alteins back to sequences thought to be noncoding RNAs. though many of the pieces have been available. Kuster’s study identified a “core proteome” that conThe wait is now over. Two independent teams have sists of a large number of proteins that are found in all assembled draft maps of the human proteome that they tissues. That finding led to another surprise: “The numConventional will make publicly available. ber of organ-specific proteins is really small,” he says. analytical One team, led by Akhilesh Pandey of Johns Hopkins Pandey’s data will be publicly available at methods were University School of Medicine in collaboration with the www.humanproteomemap.org. Kuster’s database will used to generate Institute of Bioinformatics, in Bangalore, India, be available at https://www.proteomicsdb.org. draft human “I guess this means the human proteome project is proteomes. basically done, Intensity Intensity and it didn’t take a billion dollars Gel Trypsin as people preelectrophoresis digestion dicted,” says John R. Yates III, a proTime Mass/charge Protein teomics expert at extract Data analysis Conventional HPLC Tandem MS Scripps Research Trypsin performed high-resolution Institute California who was not involved with either digestion High-pH HPLC mass spectrometric analysis study. “In general, the first 90% of projects like these of 30 normal human tissues (Nature 2014, DOI: 10.1038/ are the easy part, and the last 10% are the really hard and nature13302). They identified proteins encoded by expensive part.” 17,294 genes. Pandey and Kuster both say their maps will remain Another team, led by Bernhard Kuster of the Techdrafts for the foreseeable future. “The proteome is dynamnical University of Munich, in Germany, combined ic. We always get a freeze-frame picture,” Pandey says. new mass spectrometric analyses of 60 tissues, 13 “We may never be able to claim completeness—and body fluids, and 147 cell lines with data already availperhaps we don’t really have to,” Kuster says.—CELIA able in the literature (Nature 2014, DOI: 10.1038/ ARNAUD NATURE
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CLIMATE CHANGE Obama to propose CO2 reductions for coal-fired power plants President Barack Obama on June 2 will present his scheme for lowering carbon dioxide emissions from the nation’s coal-fired power plants. Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency proposal under the Clean Air Act is part of his plan to address climate change, which he announced a year ago. The proposal is critical to greenhouse gas reduction because coal-fired power plants are responsible for 40% of U.S. CO2 emissions. Coal serves as the primary source of U.S. electricity, generating a 39% share. However, coal’s contribution
to electricity supply is in decline, dropping from a recent high of 50% because of the growing use of natural gas and renewable energy. The proposal is anticipated to rely on energy efficiency, with incentives for utilities and consumers. It is likely to encourage carbon cap-and-trade programs similar to those operating in the Northeast and California. The proposal is expected to influence ongoing international negotiations on a new global climate-change treaty. Obama has said the plan will be made
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final within a year. Litigation against it is almost guaranteed. In the weeks before the announcement, battle lines were being drawn. For instance, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business group, estimated the proposal would cost the nation $50 billion per year through 2030. The World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank, claimed the U.S. can easily reduce CO2 through existing policies. Some in Congress threatened to derail or stall the proposal.—JEFF JOHNSON
