Human total serum N-glycome.

The human total serum N-glycome (TSNG) is the representation of the serum glycoproteins N-glycosylation. The study of N-glycosylation in clinical biochemistry laboratories is emerging as a new assay for diagnosis of congenital and acquired diseases. This review describes the N-glycosylation of serum glycoproteins and its contribution to the serum N-glycome, the different protocols allowing the achievement of an N-glycosylation profile, the variations of this profile in diseases, and finally the perspective of applications of the TSNG in the exploration of congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG), hepatic cirrhosis, inflammatory disorders, autoimmune diseases, and cancers.