Rapid Communication Application of Lectin Microarray to Crude Samples: Differential Glycan Profiling of Lec Mutants

We recently developed a novel system for lectin microarray based on the evanescentfield fluorescence-detection principle, by which even weak lectin-oligosaccharide interactions are detectable without a washing procedure. For its practical application, cell glycan analysis was performed for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and their glycan profile was compared with those of their glycosylation-defective Lec mutants. Each of the cell surface extracts gave a significantly different profile from that of the parental CHO cells in a manner reflecting denoted biosynthetic features. Hence, the developed lectin microarray system is considered to be fully applicable for differential glycan profiling of crude samples. Key words: evanescent, flow cytometry, glycan profiling, lectin, Lec mutant, microarray. Glycans are extensively concerned with fundamental phenomena in living organisms. In fact, more than half of eukaryotic proteins are subjected to glycosylation (1). As a result, most of the tumor antigens and cell differentiation markers so far identified are glycoproteins an