Glycoproteomics is a branch of proteomics that identifies, catalogs, and characterizes proteins containing carbohydrates as a result of post-translational modifications.
[1] Glycosylation is the most common post-translational modification of proteins, but continues to be the least studied on the proteome level.
[2] Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique used to improve the study of these proteins on the proteome level.
To study this post-translational modification of proteins, advanced mass spectrometry techniques based on glycoproteomics have been developed to help in terms of therapeutic applications and the discovery of biomarkers.
The first strategy is called "top-down" which uses intact glycoproteins for the mass spectrometry analysis without digesting and does not require an extensive sample preparation.