Abstract
Identification of N- and O-glycosylation on specific sites of proteins, along with glycan structural information, is necessary to determine the roles glycoproteins play in normal and pathologic cellular functions. Because such glycosylation is macro- and micro-heterogeneous and alters the dissociation behavior of glycopeptides, specific sample preparation, mass spectrometry, and data analysis techniques are required. Advanced tandem mass spectrometry-based glycoproteomics coupled with powerful data mining algorithms are key elements for characterization of protein glycosylation. This article includes the detailed, streamlined sample preparation method for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry data acquisition and subsequent bioinformatics-based data annotation using the publicly available GlycReSoft program for highly efficient identification and quantification of glycoprotein glycosylation. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Characterization of glycans and site occupancy on purified glycoprotein Support Protocol 1: In-gel digestion of glycoproteins Support Protocol 2: Detection of glycoproteins from cells/tissue through glycopeptide enrichment Basic Protocol 2: Acquisition of glycopeptides through high-resolution nano-LC-MS/MS Basic Protocol 3: Identification and quantification of glycopeptides using GlycReSoft.