Development of lectin microarray, an advanced system for glycan profiling

— From frontal affinity chromatography to evanescent wave excitation fluorescence detection method —

Abstract

Glycans are called third class repeating biopolymers, after nucleic acids (first class) and proteins (second class). Elucidation of glycan functions has long been hampered by the difficulty in analyzing their structure. Recent progress in proteomics technology has accelerated progress in glycomics, which is the systematic study of glycans. Glycan profiling has increasingly attracted attention as a method that enables rapid analysis of complex features of glycans. Lectin microarray provides a novel platform and a simplified experimental procedure, which does not require glycan liberation and separation prior to the analysis. It is now being applied to tumor marker investigation, stem cell qualification, and biologics development. The author reviews the last 10 years of lectin microarray development, a period that began as a national project in which he has been actively involved.