Glycoproteomics based on tandem mass spectrometry of glycopeptides

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2007 Apr 15;849(1-2):115-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2006.09.041. Epub 2006 Oct 17.

Abstract

Next to the identification of proteins and the determination of their expression levels, the analysis of post-translational modifications (PTM) is becoming an increasingly important aspect in proteomics. Here, we review mass spectrometric (MS) techniques for the study of protein glycosylation at the glycopeptide level. Enrichment and separation techniques for glycoproteins and glycopeptides from complex (glyco-)protein mixtures and digests are summarized. Various tandem MS (MS/MS) techniques for the analysis of glycopeptides are described and compared with respect to the information they provide on peptide sequence, glycan attachment site and glycan structure. Approaches using electrospray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) of glycopeptides are presented and the following fragmentation techniques in glycopeptide analysis are compared: collision-induced fragmentation on different types of instruments, metastable fragmentation after MALDI ionization, infrared multi-photon dissociation, electron-capture dissociation and electron-transfer dissociation. This review discusses the potential and limitations of tandem mass spectrometry of glycopeptides as a tool in structural glycoproteomics.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Glycopeptides / analysis*
  • Glycopeptides / chemistry
  • Glycosylation
  • Proteomics / methods*
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / methods
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / methods
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods*

Substances

  • Glycopeptides