Mass spectrometric analysis of N- and O-glycosylation of tissues and cells.

Mass spectrometry has been at the forefront of glycobiological analysis for more than two decades. Recent advances in technology, coupled with increased global appreciation of the importance of the glycome in solving biological problems, have laid the foundations for an unprecedented increase in output. Under the auspices of major international consortia, significant progress is being made towards the development of integrated databases of specific cell and tissue N- and O-glycan profiles. Tools for the automation of both sample handling and data analysis are enabling a more concerted approach to glycan structural analysis. When combined with complementary transcriptomics and bioinformatics analyses, these tools will facilitate a new systems glycobiology approach to research.