Biological
systems have evolved to utilize proteins to accomplish
nearly all functional roles needed to sustain life. A majority of
biological functions occur within the crowded environment inside cells
and subcellular compartments where proteins exist in a densely packed
complex network of protein–protein interactions. The structural
biology field has experienced a renaissance with recent advances in
crystallography, NMR, and CryoEM that now produce stunning models
of large and complex structures previously unimaginable. Nevertheless,
measurements of such structural detail within cellular environments
remain elusive. This review will highlight how advances in mass spectrometry,
chemical labeling, and informatics capabilities are merging to provide
structural insights on proteins, complexes, and networks that exist
inside cells. Because of the molecular detection specificity provided
by mass spectrometry and proteomics, these approaches provide systems-level
information that not only benefits from conventional structural analysis,
but also is highly complementary. Although far from comprehensive
in their current form, these approaches are currently providing systems
structural biology information that can uniquely reveal how conformations
and interactions involving many proteins change inside cells with
perturbations such as disease, drug treatment, or phenotypic differences.
With
continued advancements and more widespread adaptation, systems structural
biology based on in-cell labeling and mass spectrometry will provide
an even greater wealth of structural knowledge.