Glycomic and glycoproteomic analysis of glycoproteins—a tutorial

• Published in: Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry 2017-07, Vol.409 (19), p.4483-4505
• Main Authors: Shajahan, Asif, Heiss, Christian, Ishihara, Mayumi, Azadi, Parastoo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Analytical Chemistry; analytical methods; Antibiotics; BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Biochemistry; Biological research; Carbohydrate analysis; Carbohydrates; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Feature Article; Food Science; genes; Glycan analysis; Glycomics; Glycomics - methods; Glycopeptide; Glycoproteins; Glycoproteins - chemistry; Glycoproteomics; Glycosylation site mapping; glycosyltransferases; Humans; INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; Laboratory Medicine; Mass spectrometry; Molecular biology; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Polysaccharides; post-translational modification; Proteins; Proteomics; Proteomics - methods; researchers; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Structural analysis; Structure-function relationships
• ISSN: 1618-2642; 1618-2650
• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-017-0406-7

The structural analysis of glycoproteins is a challenging endeavor and is under steadily increasing demand, but only a very limited number of labs have the expertise required to accomplish this task. This tutorial is aimed at researchers from the fields of molecular biology and biochemistry that have discovered that glycoproteins are important in their biological research and are looking for the tools to elucidate their structure. It provides brief descriptions of the major and most common analytical techniques used in glycomics and glycoproteomics analysis, including explanations of the rationales for individual steps and references to published literature containing the experimental details necessary to carry out the analyses. Glycomics includes the comprehensive study of the structure and function of the glycans expressed in a given cell or organism along with identification of all the genes that encode glycoproteins and glycosyltransferases. Glycoproteomics which is subset of both glycomics and proteomics is the identification and characterization of proteins bearing carbohydrates as posttranslational modification. This tutorial is designed to ease entry into the glycomics and glycoproteomics field for those without prior carbohydrate analysis experience.