Shell protein degradation by TMT- LC-MS/MS

This study investigates the degradation of mineral-associated proteins from Spondylus gaederopus mollusc shell. We analysed intracrystalline proteins extracted from powdered shell samples that were artificially aged by heating at 110 °C for different time durations (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, 96, 240 h). TMT-labelled quantitative proteomics was used to study the degradation pathways and to identify peptide bonds that were unstable and prone to hydrolysis.