Patent ID: 8119356

Claim:
A method of analyzing a sample to determine a level of a β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoprotein, the method comprising: providing a test agent comprising a first complex, wherein the first complex comprises a glycan bead and an phytohemagglutinin-L4 (L 4 -PHA) moiety connected to the glycan bead, wherein the L 4 -PHA moiety comprises a binding site specific to β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine; providing a sample comprising a β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoprotein; contacting the test agent with the sample to provide a test mixture, in which the β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoprotein binds with the first complex at the binding site, thereby forming a second complex in the mixture, wherein the second complex comprises the glycan bead, the L 4 -PHA moiety and the β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoprotein as a single entity; heating and applying a denaturing agent to the second complex to provide a denatured mixture, in which the β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoprotein is disassociated from the L 4 -PHA moiety and the glycan bead; separating the glycan bead from the denatured mixture to provide the β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoprotein substantially free of the glycan bead; subsequently fragmentizing the β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoprotein into smaller fragments; and analyzing the fragments using a mass spectrometric procedure to determine a level of the β1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoprotein in the sample.