The use of proteomics in the study of molecular responses and toxicity pathways in biological systems

The characterization of the chains of events triggered by noxious agents in sensitive systems is mandatory for a full understanding of their mechanisms of toxicity and the advancement of mechanistic-based toxicity testing. The complexity inherent into the characterization of toxicity pathways and the identification of biomarkers representing nodes of altered cell functioning support the development of analyses at a system level. Proteomics is being increasingly used for the characterization of biological systems from a toxicological perspective. Differential expression proteomics has been employed in the area of microalgal toxins, and critical review of data indicates that system level analysis by this non-biased approach allows identification of components of toxicity pathways. Still, the characterization of elements of the system has often involved targeted investigations, supporting the conclusion that the integration of systemic and reductionistic approaches will be essential to obtain quantitative, robust models of toxicity pathways and toxicity networks.