Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Glycosphingolipid Antigens
Published on: April 16, 2013
Mass spectrometry hybridized with gas-phase InfraRed spectroscopy for glycan sequencing
Christopher John Gray1, Isabelle Compagnon2, Sabine L Flitsch1
1School of Chemistry & Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, UK.
Abstract:
Precise structural differentiation of often isomeric glycans is important given their roles in numerous biological processes. Mass spectrometry (MS) (and tandem MS) is one of the analytical techniques at the forefront of glycan analysis given its speed, sensitivity in producing structural information as well as the fact it can be coupled to other orthogonal analytical techniques such as liquid chromatography (LC) and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). This review describes another family of techniques that are more commonly being hybridized to MS(/MS) namely gas-phase infrared (IR) spectroscopy, whose rise is in part due to the development and improved accessibility of tunable IR lasers. Gas-phase IR can often differentiate fine isomeric differences ubiquitous within carbohydrates that MS may be 'blind' to. There are also examples of cryogenic gas-phase IR spectroscopy with much greater spectral resolution as well as hybridizing with separative methods (LC, IMS). Furthermore, collision-induced dissociation (CID) product ions can also be probed by IR, which may be beneficial to deconvolute spectra, aid analysis and build spectral libraries, thus generating novel opportunities for fragment-based approaches to analyze glycans.
Related Concept Videos
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS)
A gas chromatograph consists of a long, narrow capillary column with a polysiloxane coating on the inner wall....
Peptide Identification Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry
This technique helps gather information regarding the protein from which the peptide was obtained and to study the peptides’ amino acid sequence. Identifying peptides from a complex mixture is an important component of the growing field of...
MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)

