Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Metabolic Glycoengineering of Sialic Acid Using N-acyl-modified Mannosamines
Published on: November 25, 2017
Tandem MS can distinguish hyaluronic acid from N-acetylheparosan
Zhenqing Zhang1, Jin Xie, Jian Liu
1Department of Chemistry, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA.
Abstract:
Isobaric oligosaccharides enzymatically prepared from hyaluronic acid (HA) and N-acetylheparosan (NAH), were distinguished using tandem mass spectrometry. The only difference between the two series of oligosaccharides was the linkage pattern (in HA 1-->3 and in NAH 1-->4) between glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine residues. Tandem mass spectrometry afforded spectra in which glycosidic cleavage fragment ions were observed for both HA and NAH oligosaccharides. Cross-ring cleavage ions 0,2An and 0,2An-h (n is even number) were observed only in GlcNAc residues of NAH oligosaccharides. One exception was an 0,2A2 ion fragment observed for the disaccharide from HA. These cross-ring cleavage fragment ions are useful to definitively distinguish HA and NAH oligosaccharides.
Related Concept Videos
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Peptide Identification Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry
This technique helps gather information regarding the protein from which the peptide was obtained and to study the peptides’ amino acid sequence. Identifying peptides from a complex mixture is an important component of the growing field of...
Glycosaminoglycans
GAGS are found in the extracellular matrix of vertebrates, invertebrates, and bacteria. Due to their polar nature they attract water, and serve as excellent lubricants or shock absorbers in an animal body.
Hyaluronic...
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
Proteoglycans
