Deciphering the Properties and Functions of Glycoproteins Using Quantitative Proteomics

Glycosylation is one of the most common and important protein modifications, and it regulates the properties and functions of a wide range of proteins. Aberrant glycosylation is directly related to human diseases. Recently, with the advancement of mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation and MS-based glycoproteomic methods, global characterization of glycoproteins in complex biological samples has become possible. Using quantitative proteomics, the abundance of glycoproteins in different samples can be quantified, which provides a wealth of information to further our understanding of protein functions, cellular activities, and the molecular mechanisms of diseases. In this review, we discuss quantitative proteomic methods used for comprehensive analysis of protein glycosylation, and cover the applications of quantitative glycoproteomics to unveil the properties and functions of glycoproteins and their association with various diseases. It is expected that quantitative proteomic methods will be extensively applied to explore the role of protein glycosylation in complex biological systems, and to identify glycoproteins as biomarkers for disease detection and as therapeutic targets for disease treatment.