Glycans in Structural and Computational Systems Biology

Glycan arrangements cannot be described by a simple linear one-letter code as each pair of monosaccharides can be linked in several ways and branched structures can be formed. Limited bioinformatics algorithms established for genomics or proteomics can be directly modified for glycomics. The growth of algorithms, which allow a quick, automatic analysis of mass spectra to classify glycan structures, is presently the most active field of research. The growth and use of informatics tools and databases for glycobiology and glycomics research has increased significantly in recent years. In terms of bioinformatics in glycobiology, there are several paths of research that are currently in growth.