Zappe Andreas, Miller Rebecca L, Struwe Weston B, Pagel Kevin
Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Copenhagen Centre for Glycomics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mass Spectrom Rev. 2022 Nov;41(6):1040-1071. doi: 10.1002/mas.21737. Epub 2021 Oct 5.
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heterogeneous acidic polysaccharides involved in a range of biological functions. They have a significant influence on the regulation of cellular processes and the development of various diseases and infections. To fully understand the functional roles that GAGs play in mammalian systems, including disease processes, it is essential to understand their structural features. Despite having a linear structure and a repetitive disaccharide backbone, their structural analysis is challenging and requires elaborate preparative and analytical techniques. In particular, the extent to which GAGs are sulfated, as well as variation in sulfate position across the entire oligosaccharide or on individual monosaccharides, represents a major obstacle. Here, we summarize the current state-of-the-art methodologies used for GAG sample preparation and analysis, discussing in detail liquid chromatograpy and mass spectrometry-based approaches, including advanced ion activation methods, ion mobility separations and infrared action spectroscopy of mass-selected species.
糖胺聚糖（GAGs）是一类参与多种生物学功能的异质性酸性多糖。它们对细胞过程的调节以及各种疾病和感染的发展具有重大影响。为了全面了解GAGs在哺乳动物系统（包括疾病过程）中所起的功能作用，了解其结构特征至关重要。尽管GAGs具有线性结构和重复的二糖主链，但其结构分析具有挑战性，需要精细的制备和分析技术。特别是，GAGs的硫酸化程度以及整个寡糖或单个单糖上硫酸根位置的变化是一个主要障碍。在此，我们总结了用于GAG样品制备和分析的当前最先进方法，详细讨论了基于液相色谱和质谱的方法，包括先进的离子活化方法、离子淌度分离以及质量选择物种的红外作用光谱。
