Identification of carbohydrate-binding proteins by carbohydrate mimicry peptides

Peptide-displaying phage technology has numerous applications. Using a specificity-defined monoclonal anticarbohydrate antibody, we can identify a series of short peptides that mimic the binding specificity of a specific carbohydrate. Identified peptides constitute alternatives to the use of carbohydrate ligands in affinity chromatography to isolate a carbohydrate-binding protein. In this chapter, we introduce methods for carbohydrate mimicry peptide affinity chromatographies and discuss their potential use in identifying yet undiscovered carbohydrate-binding proteins in normal and pathological conditions.