applied sciences Review Proteomics in Forensic Analysis: Applications for Human Samples Van-An Duong 1,† , Jong-Moon Park 1,† , Hee-Joung Lim 2,* and Hookeun Lee 1,* 1 College of Pharmacy, Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Korea;
[email protected] (V.-A.D.);
[email protected] (J.-M.P.) 2 Forensic Science Center for Odor Fingerprint Analysis, Police Science Institute, Korean National Police University, Asan 31539, Korea * Correspondence:
[email protected] (H.-J.L.);
[email protected] (H.L.); Tel.: +82-41-968-2893 (H.-J.L.); +82-32-820-4927 (H.L.) † These authors contributed equally. Abstract: Proteomics, the large-scale study of all proteins of an organism or system, is a powerful tool for studying biological systems. It can provide a holistic view of the physiological and biochemical states of given samples through identification and quantification of large numbers of peptides and proteins. In forensic science, proteomics can be used as a confirmatory and orthogonal technique for well-built genomic analyses. Proteomics is highly valuable in cases where nucleic acids are absent or degraded, such as hair and bone samples. It can be used to identify body fluids, ethnic group, gender, individual, and estimate post-mortem interval using bone, muscle, and decomposition fluid samples. Compared to genomic analysis, proteomics can provide a better global picture of a sample. It has been used in forensic science for a wide range of sample types and applications. In this review, we briefly introduce proteomic methods, including sample preparation techniques, data acquisition using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and data analysis using database search, Citation: Duong, V.-A.; Park, J.-M.; spectral library search, and de novo sequencing.