Capillary electrophoresis: a superior miniaturized tool for analysis of the mono-, di-, and oligosaccharide constituents of glycan moieties in proteoglycans

Proteoglycans are a major family of glycoconjugates which participate in an d regulate several cellular events and biological functions. Their glycan c hains determine their physicochemical and biological properties. Capillary electrophoresis, because of its high resolving power and sensitivity, has b een successfully used for the analysis of carbohydrates. The monosaccharide constituents, the disaccharide sulfation pattern, and the uronic acid dist ribution within glycan chains of proteoglycans determine their interactions with matrix effectors and are responsible for numerous effects. Determinat ion of the chemical composition and identification of key structural compon ents and domains of glycans are, therefore, essential in understanding the biological functions of proteoglycans. In this report an overview of the ca pillary electrophoresis methods used to analyze and characterize the struct ure of the glycan chains of proteoglycans is presented.