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Updated: May 20, 2026

Improved In-gel Reductive β-Elimination for Comprehensive O-linked and Sulfo-glycomics by Mass Spectrometry
Published on: November 20, 2014
Nonenzymatic release of free reducing glycans from glycosphingolipids
Xuezheng Song1, David F Smith, Richard D Cummings
1Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. xsong2@emory.edu
Abstract:
A major limitation in studying the structures and functions of glycans in glycosphingolipids is the difficulty in releasing free glycans for analysis and derivatization. Here we show that reducing glycans can be released nonenzymatically from glycosphingolipids after a brief treatment with ozone followed by heating in neutral aqueous buffer (pHs 6.0-8.0). The released free reducing glycans are then available for glycomic analyses, including fluorescent labeling, permethylation, and mass spectrometry. This procedure is simple and highly efficient, with no base-catalyzed "peeling" reaction by-products observed.
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