Site-Specific Mapping of Sialic Acid Linkage Isomers by Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Detailed structural elucidation of protein glycosylation is a tedious process often involving several techniques. Glycomics and glycoproteomics approaches with mass spectrometry offer a rapid platform for glycan profiling but are limited by the inability to resolve isobaric species such as linkage and positional isomers. Recently, ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has been shown to effectively resolve isobaric oligosaccharides, but the utility of IMS to obtain glycan structural information on a site-specific level with proteomic analyses has yet to be investigated. Here, we report that the addition of IMS to conventional glycoproteomics platforms adds additional information regarding glycan structure and is particularly useful for differentiation of sialic acid linkage isomers on both N- and O-linked glycopeptides. With further development IMS may hold the potential for rapid and complete structural elucidation of glycan chains at a site-specific level.