Glycan analysis by mass spectrometry

Remarkable advances in performance of recent mass spectrometers promote dramatically the proteome analysis as well as the application of mass spectrometry to glycan analysis, and mass spectrometry has become one of the main analytical methods in glycan study. However, although many researchers can operate mass spectrometers easily these days due to the increase of user-friendliness of the instruments, mass spectrometry is still developing in the field of glycan analysis, and it is very important not only to understand the principle of mass spectrometers and the related technologies but also to interpret obtained mass spectrum properly. In this paper, the glycan analysis using MALDI and ESI mass spectrometers is explained with some actual examples and useful notes.