Analysis of N- and O-linked glycans of glycoproteins

Analysis of glycosylation is an important aspect of the characterization of glycoproteins, which is often overlooked. Over 75% of proteins including the majority of secreted and cell surface proteins that are important in cellular signaling events are potentially glycosylated. The molecular structures and the mechanism of the interactions of glycoproteins cannot be fully appreciated without knowledge of the structure and distribution of the associated glycans. Although glycan analysis still requires some specialized expertise and understanding of glycobiology, the strategies based on HPLC, gel and capillary electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry that are now available allow the analysis to be performed by many laboratories with protein chemistry expertise. Keywords: glycoprotein; glycosylation; glycan analysis; HPLC; mass spectrometry