The mzTab Data Exchange Format: Communicating Mass-spectrometry-based Proteomics and Metabolomics Experimental Results to a Wider Audience

• DOI: 10.1074/mcp.o113.036681
• Publication Date: 2014-07-01T14:30:21Z
• Authors: Johannes Griss; Andrew R. Jones; Timo Sachsenberg; Mathias Walzer; Laurent Gatto; Jürgen Hartler; Gerhard G. Thalli...; Reza M. Salek; Christoph Steinbeck; Nadin Neuhauser; Jürgen Cox; Steffen Neumann; Jun Fan; Florian Reisinger; Qing-Wei Xu; Noemi del Toro; Yasset Pérez-Riverol; Fawaz Ghali; Nuno Bandeira; Ioannis Xenarios; Oliver Kohlbacher; Juan Antonio Vizc...; Henning Hermjakob
• Keywords: Access to Information; Proteomics; 0301 basic medicine; User-Computer Interface; 03 medical and health sciences; Technological Innovation and Resources; Metabolomics; Databases, Protein; Mass Spectrometry; Software

The HUPO Proteomics Standards Initiative has developed several standardized data formats to facilitate sharing in mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics. These allow researchers report their complete results a unified way. However, at present, there is no format describe the final qualitative and quantitative for proteomics metabolomics experiments simple tabular format. Many downstream analysis use cases are only concerned with of an experiment require easily accessible format, compatible tools such as Microsoft Excel or R. We mzTab file MS-based meet this need. intended lightweight supplement existing standard XML-based (mzML, mzIdentML, mzQuantML), providing comprehensive summary, similar concept supplemental material scientific publication. files can contain protein, peptide, small molecule identifications together experimental metadata basic information. not store evidence but provides mechanisms different levels detail. range from summary representation including design. This ideally suited make available wider biological community outside field MS. Several software have already adapted output specification document extensive additional documentation be found online.