Quantitative Assessment of Core Fucosylation for Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation

Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) include a group of diseases characterized by defects of N-glycan fucosylation. The analytical molecule of choice for the diagnosis of CDG affecting N-glycosylation is serum transferrin: approximately 10% of the glycans attached to transferrin are fucosylated via an α1,6 linkage at the innermost N-acetylglucosamine residue, termed “core fucosylation.” Isoelectric focusing (IEF) of transferrin is often used for diagnosis, but IEF is ineffective in detecting abnormal fucosylation. Here, we present mass spectrometry (MS) methods for detecting fucosylation disorders