ALBERT

Description: Glycomics is the comprehensive study of glycomes (the entire complement of sugars, whether free or present in more complex molecules of an organism), including genetic, physiologic, pathologic, and other aspects in living organisms. Carbohydrates being most abundant macromolecules are found in all organisms’ organs, tissues, and cells. They are present in almost every organelle of the cell in varying amounts depending on the type of organelle. Carbohydrates are not directly synthesized by genes; rather they are formed by gene products. Sometime carbohydrates are present in free form and also exist in the form of conjugates. Plants being the largest producer of carbohydrates on earth are of particular importance. Plants are rich in complex carbohydrates molecules. Complex biopolymers like cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses are being studied along with their structure and type of linkages present between them. The presence of these carbohydrates is somewhat linked to the survival of these plants under extreme conditions and stresses. Understanding these carbohydrates has allowed us to find answers on how plants survived severe climate changes in the past. These complex molecules form linkages with non-carbohydrate molecules and understanding the structure of these conjugates is a challenging task to the scientific community. Glycomics approach regarding the structural and functional analysis of these carbohydrates has been revolutionized by the modification in techniques like mass spectrophotometry, high pressure liquid chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis. Still some improvements are needed in these techniques to make glycomic approach less time-consuming and more specific and sensitive.