Analysis of Released Glycans

A number of stationary phases are suitable for coupling on-line with MS, including RP, NP, and graphitized carbon (refer to Section III). 

One clear example of the importance of capsular polysaccharides is in the symbiotic relationship between nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria and leguminous plants, where MS has played a central role in helping elucidate structures. Here we aim to highlight, using the specific example of bacterial K-antigen studies, the central role of modern mass-spectrometric techniques in polysaccharide analysis. 

Biological studies in combination with powerful analytical tools, especially modern MS, for the structural characterization of low-abundance complex molecules, has enabled the phenotyping of numerous examples of these structures. 

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