High-performance lectin affinity chromatography.

Lectin high-performance liquid chromatography techniques have contributed to the growing interest in glycoproteomics. Affinity chromatography is a very effective method to separate and purify trace amount of biological substances. In this chapter, we describe a basic procedure for separation of glycoproteins using commercially available lectin-HPLC columns. As an example, α-fetoprotein, known as a biomarker of liver cancer, can be separated at the level of their glyco-isomers by using a Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA) column.