Handbook Of Glycomics

The Handbook of Glycomics provides the first comprehensive overview of the emerging field of glycomics, defined as the study of all complex carbohydrates in an organism or cell ("the glycome"). Beginning with analytic approaches and bioinformatics, this work provides a detailed discussion of relevant databases, data integration, and analysis. It then moves on to a discussion of specific model organism and pathogen glycomes followed by therapeutic approaches to human disorders of glycosylization. Structure and function of glycomes are included along with state-of-the-art technologies and systems approaches to the analysis of glycans. Synthesizes contributions from experts in biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, biotechnology, and medicine Highlights chapters devoted to chemical synthesis, cancer glycomics and immune cell glycomics Includes discussions of proteomics, mass spectrometry, NMR, array technology, and transcriptomics analytic approaches

Due to the significant contributions of carbohydrates to the functional diversity of the cell, the challenging study of the glycome has expanded beyond the research of carbohydrate experts and into the wider scope of the life sciences. To aid all scientists now delving into this vital subject area, Glycomics: Methods and Protocols collects a compendium of detailed laboratory protocols reflecting the increasing availability of sample preparation, chromatographic, electrophoretic, mass spectrometric, and bioinformatic tools specifically designed for the analysis of glycosylation. Leading researchers in the field address subjects such as glycoprotein and proteoglycan analysis, glycosylation structure determination, as well as various approaches to investigate the interaction between glycans and a variety of carbohydrate-recognizing proteins in order to aid exploration into the functional significance of the oligosaccharides. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, the chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Glycomics: Methods and Protocols serves as a valuable guide for experimenters facing the challenges of glycan analysis in hope of providing further insights into the biology of cell-cell communication and interaction.

This book provides glycoscientists with a handbook of useful databases that can be applied to glycoscience research. Although many databases are now publicly available, one of the hurdles for their users is the learning curve required to effectively utilize those databases. Therefore, this book not only describes the existing databases, but also provides tips on how to obtain the target data. That is, because many databases provide a variety of data that could be obtained from different perspectives, each chapter provides users with potential biological questions that can be answered by a particular database and step-by-step instructions, with figures, on how to obtain that data. Troubleshooting tips are also provided to aid users encountering problems that can be predicted when using these databases. Moreover, contact information for each database is provided in case unexpected issues arise.

Due to the significant contributions of carbohydrates to the functional diversity of the cell, the challenging study of the glycome has expanded beyond the research of carbohydrate experts and into the wider scope of the life sciences. To aid all scientists now delving into this vital subject area, Glycomics: Methods and Protocols collects a compendium of detailed laboratory protocols reflecting the increasing availability of sample preparation, chromatographic, electrophoretic, mass spectrometric, and bioinformatic tools specifically designed for the analysis of glycosylation. Leading researchers in the field address subjects such as glycoprotein and proteoglycan analysis, glycosylation structure determination, as well as various approaches to investigate the interaction between glycans and a variety of carbohydrate-recognizing proteins in order to aid exploration into the functional significance of the oligosaccharides. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, the chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Glycomics: Methods and Protocols serves as a valuable guide for experimenters facing the challenges of glycan analysis in hope of providing further insights into the biology of cell-cell communication and interaction.

Sugar chains (glycans) are often attached to proteins and lipids and have multiple roles in the organization and function of all organisms. "Essentials of Glycobiology" describes their biogenesis and function and offers a useful gateway to the understanding of glycans.

The so-called postgenomic research era has now been launched, and the field of gly cobiology and glycotechnology has become one of the most important areas in life science because glycosylation is the most common post-translational modification reaction of proteins in vivo. On the basis of Swiss-Prot data, over 50% proteins are known to undergo glycosylation, but in fact the actual functions of most of the sugar chains in the glycoconjugates remain unknown. The complex carbohydrate chains of glycoproteins, glycolipids, and proteoglycans represent the secondary gene products formed through the reactions of glycosyl transferases. The regulation of the biosynthesis of sugar chains is under the control of the expression of glycosyltransferases, their substrate specificity, and their local ization in specific tissue sites. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that these enzymes play pivotal roles in a variety of important cellular differentiation and developmental events, as well as in disease processes. Over 300 glycosyltransferases appear to exist in mammalian tissues. If the genes that have been purified and cloned from various species such as humans, cattle, pigs, rats and mice are counted as one, approximately 110 glycogenes that encode glycosyltransferases and related genes have been cloned at present, and this number continues to grow each day. However, most of the functions of the glycosyltransferase genes and related genes are unknown. This fact has stimulated numerous new and interesting approaches in molecular biologi cal investigations.

In this 3 volume collection focusing on glycomics, readers will appreciate how such discoveries were made and how such methods can be applied for readers’ own research efforts Each chapter has been designed so that enough scientific background will be given in each chapter for further development of methods by readers themselves Useful for all levels of scientists starting from the last years of colleges, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows to professors and to all levels of scientists in research institutes including industry