MoBiTec GmbH, Germany, is Offering Glycan Arrays for Multiple Analysis of Glycan-Related Interactions

Göttingen, Germany, February 09, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Glycomics is the comprehensive study of glycomes, the entire complement of sugars, whether free or present in more complex molecules, of an organism. This includes genetic, physiologic, pathologic, and other aspects. Glycomics is the systematic study of all glycan structures of a given cell type or organism and is a subset of glycobiology.

Screening of Glycan Arrays represents a powerful, high-throughput approach to defining how glycan-binding proteins interact with their ligands, for example oligosaccharide ligands for glycan-binding receptors, commonly referred to as lectins.

Glycan-binding receptors are involved in biological processes that require recognition of selected sets of oligosaccharide ligands. Glycan Arrays are increasingly being used as a means of characterizing the glycan-binding specificity of receptors. In collaboration with Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd. MoBiTec now is offering 2 types of Glycan Arrays carrying extended sets of glycan structures.

Glycan Arrays are useful tools for several applications and have the following features:

・Analysis of binding specificity of glycan-binding proteins
・Studies on interaction of microorganisms
・Research on mechanisms of infection
・Search for autoantibodies
・Fast testing of binding specificity by fluorescence analysis
・Binding to 29 kinds of glycans and 24 kinds of ganglioside glycans can be investigated
・Two areas of glycan concentrations are provided
・The direction of immobilized glycans is well-controlled

Glycan Array I (29 types)

・N-glycans
・O-glycans
・GAGs
・Lewis series
・Lac series
・ABO series

Glycan Array II (24 types)

・Ganglioside series
・Globo series

Much effort has been addressed in the construction and probing of the Glycan Arrays. The arrays consist of unique plastic substrates that are covered by non-adsorptive biopolymer. On this, functional groups are placed that bind to the reducing ends of glycans. Special surface treatment enables to control directions of immobilized glycans.

Sumitomo's Glycan Arrays will help collect information on specificity and affinity in glycan–receptor interactions. This information may provide a realistic and reliable basis for predicting which ligands will bind to particular receptors as well as for modeling of how they bind. It may also provide a foundation for prediction and modeling of glycan ligand binding to other receptors for which structural information is not available.

The Glycan Arrays are available for sale as of now. Data sheets are available for download at http://www.mobitec.de/de/products/bio/08_glycobio/index.php?analysis.html