Identification of grapevine cultivar biomarkers using surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization (SELDI-TOF/MS).

Protein-based tools for identifying plant varieties have witnessed a rapid development, in parallel to the evolution of gene-based technologies. Proteomics is now applied in many different fields, from medical diagnosis to food quality control. In this study, we used ProteinChip technology to analyze the protein profiles of four different varieties of grapevines. This technique incorporates surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization with mass spectrometry for rapid profiling and a comparison of protein profiles. Our results revealed that several protein signals were differentially expressed in the varieties used, suggesting that this technology could potentially be used to identify cultivar-specific biomarkers in grapevines.