Extraction and isolation of glycoproteins and proteoglycans

A number of diverse approaches have been devised to bring about the efficient extraction and isolation of glycoproteins and proteoglycans from biological tissues. Many of these approachs are general procedures that can also be used for the extraction of nonglycoproteins from cells or tissues. Others, such as lectin affinity chromatography, take advantage of specialized structures found only on discrete sub-classes of glycoproteins. Unfortunately, the development of a protocol suitable for the purification of a given glycoprotein of interest remains largely empirical. This article presents a general overview of some of the potential strategies that can be utilized in the development of new isolation procedures and attempts to point out some of the possible pitfalls that may be encountered.