Recent advances in proximity-based labeling methods for interactome mapping

Proximity-based labeling has emerged as a powerful complementary approach to classic affinity purification of multiprotein complexes in the mapping of protein–protein interactions. Ongoing optimization of enzyme tags and delivery methods has improved both temporal and spatial resolution, and the technique has been successfully employed in numerous small-scale (single complex mapping) and large-scale (network mapping) initiatives. When paired with quantitative proteomic approaches, the ability of these assays to provide snapshots of stable and transient interactions over time greatly facilitates the mapping of dynamic interactomes. Furthermore, recent innovations have extended biotin-based proximity labeling techniques such as BioID and APEX beyond classic protein-centric assays (tag a protein to label neighboring proteins) to include RNA-centric (tag an RNA species to label RNA-binding proteins) and DNA-centric (tag a gene locus to label associated protein complexes) assays.