Glycan arrays are composed of various oligosaccharides and/or polysaccharides immobilised on a solid support in a spatially-defined arrangement.[2] This technology provides the means of studying glycan-protein interactions in a high-throughput environment. These natural or synthetic (see carbohydrate synthesis) glycans are then incubated with any glycan-binding protein such as lectins, cell surface receptors or possibly a whole organism such as a virus. Binding is quantified using fluorescence-based detection methods. Certain types of glycan microarrays can even be re-used for multiple samples using a method called Microwave Assisted Wet-Erase.[3]
Applications
Glycan arrays have been used to characterize previously unknown biochemical interactions. For example, photo-generated glycan arrays have been used to characterize the immunogenic properties of a tetrasaccharide found on the surface of anthrax spores.[4] Hence, glycan array technology can be used to study the specificity of host-pathogen interactions.
[5]
Early on, glycan arrays were proven useful in determining the specificity of the Hemagglutinin (influenza) of the Influenza A virus binding to the host and distinguishing across different strains of flu (including avian from mammalian). This was shown with CFG arrays [6] as well as customised arrays.[7]
Cross-platform benchmarks led to highlight the effect of glycan presentation and spacing on binding.[8]
^Carroll GT, Wang D, Turro NJ, Koberstein JT (2006). "Photochemical Micropatterning of Carbohydrates on a Surface". Langmuir. 22 (6): 2899–2905. doi:10.1021/la0531042. PMID16519501.
^Geissner A, Anish C, Seeberger PH (Feb 2014). "Glycan arrays as tools for infectious disease research". Curr Opin Chem Biol. 18: 38–45. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2013.11.013. PMID24534751.
^Stevens J, Blixt O, Tumpey TM, Taubenberger JK, Paulson JC, Wilson IA (Apr 2006). "Structure and receptor specificity of the hemagglutinin from an H5N1 influenza virus". Science. 312 (5772): 404–410. Bibcode:2006Sci...312..404S. doi:10.1126/science.1124513. PMID16543414.