GlycoEpitope: the integrated database of carbohydrate antigens and antibodies

Carbohydrate chains occupy truly significant positions in various fields of life sciences and biotechnology. A large number of polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies have been used as very important tools for analyzing expression of carbohydrate chains and their functions. GlycoEpitope is an integrated database that consists of useful information on carbohydrate antigens and their antibodies. It has been developed with the cooperation of top class researchers in the field of glycobiology and maintained by the Research Center for Glycobiotechnology in Ritsumeikan University. The GlycoEpitope Database provides a fund of information, e.g. lists of 1) glycoproteins that express carbohydrate antigens (epitopes), 2) glycolipids of which the partial structure is a carbohydrate epitope, 3) enzymes that take part in synthesis and degradation of glycoepitopes, 4) time and site of expression of carbohydrate epitopes, 5) diseases to which carbohydrate epitopes relate, and 6) suppliers where carbohydrate recognition antibodies can be obtained. This database is not limited to glycobiologists, but open to a wide range of life science researchers. Its search criteria are made flexible, so the database is very user-friendly. Here, we would like to introduce a general outline of the database and how it works.