Metabolic radiolabeling of animal cell glycoconjugates

Useful information about glycoconjugates can be obtained by labeling their aglycone (noncarbohydrate) portions--e.g., labeling proteins with radioactive amino acids-and then using techniques described elsewhere in this chapter to infer the presence, type, and nature of oligosaccharide chains. This unit describes metabolic labeling techniques that provide more specific information about the structure, sequence, and distribution of the sugar chains of glycoconjugates. Following metabolic labeling, the radioactive glycoconjugate of interest is isolated, individual glycosylation sites are identified and separated if necessary, and the labeled oligosaccharides are subjected to structural analysis.