Summary: GlycoStore is a curated chromatographic, electrophoretic and mass-spectrometry composition database of N-, O-, glycosphingolipid (GSL) glycans and free oligosaccharides associated with a range of glycoproteins, glycolipids and biotherapeutics. The database is built on publicly available experimental datasets from GlycoBase developed in the Oxford Glycobiology Institute and then the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT). It has now been extended to include recently published and in-house data collections from the Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) A*STAR, Macquarie University and Ludger Ltd. GlycoStore provides access to approximately 850 unique glycan structure entries supported by over 8500 retention positions determined by: (i) hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (U/HPLC) and reversed phase (RP)-U/HPLC with fluorescent detection; (ii) porous graphitized carbon (PGC) chromatography in combination with ESI-MS/MS detection; and (iii) capillary electrophoresis with laser induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF). GlycoStore enhances many features previously available in GlycoBase while addressing the limitations of the data collections and model of this popular resource. GlycoStore aims to support detailed glycan analysis by providing a resource that underpins current workflows. It will be regularly updated by expert annotation of published data and data obtained from the project partners. Availability and implementation: http://www.glycostore.org. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

UNLABELLED: Sequencing oligosaccharides by exoglycosidases, either sequentially or in an array format, is a powerful tool to unambiguously determine the structure of complex N- and O-link glycans. Here, we introduce GlycoDigest, a tool that simulates exoglycosidase digestion, based on controlled rules acquired from expert knowledge and experimental evidence available in GlycoBase. The tool allows the targeted design of glycosidase enzyme mixtures by allowing researchers to model the action of exoglycosidases, thereby validating and improving the efficiency and accuracy of glycan analysis. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: http://www.glycodigest.org.

BACKGROUND: Recent progress in method development for characterising the branched structures of complex carbohydrates has now enabled higher throughput technology. Automation of structure analysis then calls for software development since adding meaning to large data collections in reasonable time requires corresponding bioinformatics methods and tools. Current glycobioinformatics resources do cover information on the structure and function of glycans, their interaction with proteins or their enzymatic synthesis. However, this information is partial, scattered and often difficult to find to for non-glycobiologists. METHODS: Following our diagnosis of the causes of the slow development of glycobioinformatics, we review the "objective" difficulties encountered in defining adequate formats for representing complex entities and developing efficient analysis software. RESULTS: Various solutions already implemented and strategies defined to bridge glycobiology with different fields and integrate the heterogeneous glyco-related information are presented. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the initial stage of our integrative efforts, this paper highlights the rapid expansion of glycomics, the validity of existing resources and the bright future of glycobioinformatics.

UNLABELLED: Glycosylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications of proteins, known to be involved in pathogen recognition, innate immune response and protection of epithelial membranes. However, when compared to the tools and databases available for the processing of high-throughput proteomic data, the glycomic domain is severely lacking. While tools to assist the analysis of mass spectrometry (MS) and HPLC are continuously improving, there are few resources available to support liquid chromatography (LC)-MS/MS techniques for glycan structure profiling. Here, we present a platform for presenting oligosaccharide structures and fragment data characterized by LC-MS/MS strategies. The database is annotated with high-quality datasets and is designed to extend and reinforce those standards and ontologies developed by existing glycomics databases. AVAILABILITY: http://www.unicarb-db.org