Proteomes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A complete set of proteins expressed by a genome
2. the entire protein complement produced in a specific cell type, tissue, or organism under particular conditions
3. a comprehensive analysis of protein structures and functions in biological samples

Etymology: "Proteomes" is the plural of "proteome," a term built by blending two existing words: "protein" and "genome." The second half of the blend draws on the "-ome" ending, which scientists borrowed from "genome" to name whole sets of things in a living system, so that the total set of proteins expressed by an organism or cell could be discussed as a single unit. The logic of the coinage follows the model of the older term. A genome is the complete set of an organism's genes, and a proteome applies the same idea to proteins. Where a genome is largely fixed by DNA, a proteome changes with the cell's conditions, since different proteins are made at different times and in different tissues. That shifting character is why the field studies proteomes in samples rather than treating them as static blueprints. An alternative blend, "proteo-" plus "-ome," appears in the same record, which shows that the word was formed by combining familiar scientific parts rather than drawn from a classical source. The plural simply follows the regular English pattern of adding "-s."