A glycomic approach of various glycoconjugates for the discovery of disease-related biomarkers

Abstract

The cell surface is coated with a dense layer of glycocaryx composed of glycoproteins and glycolipids and the glycan structures are altered in diseases. The majority of Federal Drug Administration (FDA)-approved tumor markers, which are clinically utilized worldwide, are either glycans or glycoproteins. In this study, we report a series of methodologies for the comprehensive glycomic analysis of various glycoconjugates using mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography. Moreover, we introduce the sialic acid linkage-specific alkylamidation method by lactone-ring opening aminolysis (aminolysis-SALSA method) for the discovery of disease-related biomarkers.