Hae Min Ju (Korea Basic Science Institute)

Heeyoun Hwang (Korea Basic Science Institute)

Hae Min Ju (Korea Basic Science Institute)

Kyung Hee Kim (Kookmin University)

Soojin Park (Korea Basic Science Institute)

Jin Young Kim (Korea Basic Science Institute)

Heeyoun Hwang (Korea Basic Science Institute)

The Human Proteome Project (HPP) has classified Pannexin-3 (PANX3) as a "missing" protein due to insufficient evidence of its existence. PANX3, a member of the pannexin family, is known to form functional cell surface channels and play roles in various physiological processes. This study finds the PANX3 (NX_Q96QZ0, Protein Evidence Level 2) located on chromosome 11 using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We discovered PANX3 from cancer patients, and subsequently validated through comparison with corresponding synthetic peptides. This approach not only confirmed the presence of PANX3 but also demonstrated the effectiveness of LC-MS/MS in identifying previously undetected proteins. We provide an evidence for PANX3's existence and establishes a foundation for further investigations into its biological functions and potential clinical significance. Our findings contribute to the ongoing efforts of the HPP to comprehensively characterize the human proteome and highlight the importance of advanced analytical techniques in protein identification.

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