Glycoproteins: Liquid Chromatography

Many proteins in cells and biological Suids are glycosylated, and these glycoproteins are present in animals, plants, microorganisms and viruses. The most commonly occurring monosaccharides found in oligosaccharide attachments to mammalian proteins are D-mannose (Man), D-galactose (Gal), D-glucose (Glu), L-fucose (Fuc), N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), and Nacetylneuraminic acid (sialic acid or NeuAc). The primary structure of glycoprotein glycans and their biological functions have been gradually unravelled by the improvements of methods for isolation and structure determination. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is one of the most commonly used methods for the isolation and analysis of both glycoproteins and their derived carbohydrates, mainly due to the excellent resolution, ease of use, the generally high recoveries, the excellent reproducibility of repetitive separations, and the high productivity in terms of cost parameters.