Software tools for glycan profiling

A MATLAB-based app to improve LC-MS/MS data analysis for N-linked glycan peak identification

BACKGROUND

Glycosylation is an important modification to proteins that plays a significant role in biological processes. Glycan structures are characterized by liquid chromatography (LC) combined with mass spectrometry (MS), but data interpretation of LC/MS and MS/MS data can be time-consuming and arduous when analyzed manually. Most of glycan analysis requires dedicated glycobioinformatics tools to process MS data, identify glycan structure, and display the results. However, software tools currently available are either too costly or heavily focused on academic applications, limiting their use within the biopharmaceutical industry for implementing the standardized LC/MS glycan analysis in high-throughput manner. Additionally, few tools provide the capability to generate report-ready annotated MS/MS glycan spectra.

RESULTS

Here, we present a MATLAB-based app, GlyKAn AZ, which can automate data processing, glycan identification, and customizable result displays in a streamlined workflow. MS1 and MS2 mass search algorithms along with glycan databases were developed to confirm the fluorescent labeled N-linked glycan species based on accurate mass. A user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) streamlines the data analysis process, making it easy to implement the software tool in biopharmaceutical analytical laboratories. The databases provided with the app can be expanded through the Fragment Generator functionality which automatically identifies fragmentation patterns for new glycans. The GlyKAn AZ app can automatically annotate the MS/MS spectra, yet this data display feature remains flexible and customizable by users, saving analysts' time in generating individual report-ready spectra figures. This app accepts both OrbiTrap and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) MS data and was successfully validated by identifying all glycan species that were previously identified manually.

CONCLUSIONS

The GlyKAn AZ app was developed to expedite glycan analysis while maintaining a high level of accuracy in positive identifications. The app's customizable user inputs, polished figures and tables, and unique calculated outputs set it apart from similar software and greatly improve the current manual analysis workflow. Overall, this app serves as a tool for streamlining glycan identification for both academic and industrial needs.

gQuant, an Automated Tool for Quantitative Glycomic Data Analysis

MALDI-MS-based glycan isotope labeling methods have been effectively and widely used for quantitative glycomics. However, interpretation of the data produced by MALDI-MS is inaccurate and tedious because the bioinformatic tools are inadequate. In this work, we present gQuant, an automated tool for MALDI-MS-based glycan isotope labeling data processing. gQuant was designed with a set of dedicated algorithms to improve the efficiency, accuracy and convenience of quantitation data processing. When tested on the reference data set, gQuant showed a fast processing speed, as it was able to search the glycan data of model glycoproteins in a few minutes and reported more results than the manual analysis did. The reported quantitation ratios matched well with the experimental glycan mixture ratios ranging from 1:10 to 10:1. In addition, gQuant is fully open-source and is coded in Python, which is supported by most operating systems, and it has a user-friendly interface. gQuant can be easily adapted by users for specific experimental designs, such as specific glycan databases, different derivatization types and relative quantitation designs and can thus facilitate fast glycomic quantitation for clinical sample analysis using MALDI-MS-based stable isotope labeling.

Quantitative glycomics using liquid phase separations coupled to mass spectrometry

Post-translational modification of proteins by the attachment of glycans is governed by a variety of highly specific enzymes and is associated with fundamental impacts on the parent protein's physical, chemical and biological properties. The inherent connection between cellular physiology and specific glycosylation patterns has been shown to offer potential for diagnostic and prognostic monitoring of altered glycosylation in the disease state. Conversely, glycoprotein based biopharmaceuticals have emerged as dominant therapeutic strategies in the treatment of intricate diseases. Glycosylation present on these biopharmaceuticals represents a major critical quality attribute with impacts on both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The structural variety of glycans, based upon their non-template driven assembly, poses a significant analytical challenge for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Labile monosaccharide constituents, isomeric species and often low sample availability from biological sources necessitates meticulous sample handling, ultra-high-resolution analytical separation and sensitive detection techniques, respectively. In this article a critical review of analytical quantitation approaches using liquid phase separations coupled to mass spectrometry for released glycans of biopharmaceutical and biomedical significance is presented. Considerations associated with sample derivatisation strategies, ionisation, relative quantitation through isotopic as well as isobaric labelling, metabolic/enzymatic incorporation and targeted analysis are all thoroughly discussed.

Analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: An update for 2013-2014

This review is the eighth update of the original article published in 1999 on the application of Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI) mass spectrometry to the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates and brings coverage of the literature to the end of 2014. Topics covered in the first part of the review include general aspects such as theory of the MALDI process, matrices, derivatization, MALDI imaging, fragmentation, and arrays. The second part of the review is devoted to applications to various structural types such as oligo- and poly- saccharides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, glycosides, and biopharmaceuticals. Much of this material is presented in tabular form. The third part of the review covers medical and industrial applications of the technique, studies of enzyme reactions, and applications to chemical synthesis. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 37:353-491, 2018.