Glycan sequencing, a brief primer

Polysaccharides are among the most important biopolymers in nature. Besides playing an important structural role, polysaccharides in all organisms are vital modulators of cellular processes and control many physiological phenomena, including growth and proliferation, microbial infection, and inflammation. As a result, understanding the structure-function relationships of glycans is crucial. However, glycan sequencing technologies have fallen behind those of other biopolymers. This review discusses existing glycan sequencing methods for small- and medium-sized glycans, such as <i>N</i>-glycans, but will focus on upcoming methods for sequencing large glycans.