Evaluation of the use of DiART isobaric labeling tags in quantitative proteomics studies

Isobaric labeling tags, such as iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification), are widely used in quantitative proteomics studies, in which peptides are chemically labeled and their abundance is represented by the intensity of reporter ions. DiART (deuterium isobaric amine reactive tag) is another type of reagent used for peptide labeling in quantitative proteomics studies, and although the reaction principal is similar to iTRAQ, it has a very different chemical structure. To evaluate the properties of DiART in peptide quantification, such as its accuracy, sensitivity, and dynamic range, we systematically analyzed different samples labeled with DiART using mass spectrometry. The quantitative analysis showed that the results of the peptides labeled with DiART were more accurate than those of the same peptides labeled with iTRAQ not only in the background of simple samples but also in that of complex samples, thus suggesting the usefulness of DiART in quantitative proteomics studies.