Protein synthesis, folding and degradation functions are spatially segregated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) with respect to the membrane and the ribosome (rough and smooth ER). Interrogation of a proteomics resource characterizing rough and smooth ER membranes subfractionated into cytosolic, membrane, and soluble fractions gives a spatial map of known proteins involved in ER function. The spatial localization of 224 identified unknown proteins in the ER is predicted to give insight into their function. Here we provide evidence that the proteomics resource accurately predicts the function of new proteins involved in protein synthesis (nudilin), protein translocation across the ER membrane (nicalin), co-translational protein folding (stexin), and distal protein folding in the lumen of the ER (erlin-1, TMX2). Proteomics provides the spatial localization of proteins and can be used to accurately predict protein function.
