The complete genome sequencing has opened the way to the investigation of the
transcriptional activity of thousands of genes (i.e the transcriptome) through DNA
microarrays. In parallel to these technological developments high-resolution twodimensional
gels combined with sensitive mass spectrometry and other new methods
provide the possibility of studying all proteins present in cells (i.e. the proteome). Both
transcriptome and proteome investigations are characterized by an unprecedented resolution
power (high throughput) and by their totally descriptive character, so that a physiological
condition or a specific tissue is explored without any preliminary hypothesis to be tested;
on the other hand, the results of the high throughput studies are very often the starting point
for the generation of new hypothesis to be validated in subsequent experiments. This paper
aims to briefly review the most recent technological developments and their application to
muscle physiology and pathology
