title: Mass spectrometry of glycans.
abstract: Powerful new strategies based on mass spectrometry are revolutionizing the structural analysis and profiling of glycans and glycoconjugates. We survey here the major biosynthetic pathways that underlie the biological diversity in glycobiology, with emphasis on glycoproteins, and the approaches that can be used to address the resulting heterogeneity. Included among these are derivatizations, on- and off-line chromatography, electrospray and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, and a variety of dissociation methods, the recently introduced electron-based techniques being of particular interest.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. hanliang1986@gmail.com
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Catherine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Costello
mesh_terms: D006001:Glycoconjugates / Q000032:analysis; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry; D043524:Peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl) Asparagine Amidase / Q000378:metabolism; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000032:analysis*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D006001:Glycoconjugates; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008670:Metals; D011134:Polysaccharides; D043524:Peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl) Asparagine Amidase