Tutorial review. Future prospects for the analysis of complex biological systems using micro-column liquid chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

An overview is provided of methods for the study of complex biological processes by using micro-column liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Procedures discussed include electrospray ionization, micro-column liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectra data interpretation for peptides, and database searching with mass spectral data. Several problems in immunology are discussed to illustrate this approach.