Profiling of Sugar Nucleotides

Sugar nucleotides are essential building blocks for the glycobiology of all living organisms. Detailed information on the types of sugar nucleotides present in a particular cell and how they change as a function of metabolic, developmental, or disease status is vital. The extraction, identification, and quantification of sugar nucleotides in a given sample present formidable challenges. In this chapter, currently used techniques for sugar nucleotide extraction from cells, separation from complex biological matrices, and detection by optical and mass spectrometry methods are discussed.