Lectin array-based strategies for identifying metastasis-associated changes in glycosylation.

Since 2005, lectin microarray technology has emerged as a relatively simple yet powerful technique for the comprehensive analysis of glycoprotein glycosylation. Lectin microarrays represent a new analytical method that can be used to explore the human glycome, a unique source of markers of diseases including cancer. The lectin microarray technology is a sensitive tool with the potential to allow high-throughput analysis of cancer-associated changes in glycosylation. This chapter describes the generation of a lectin-binding signature associated with metastatic primary breast tumours that have been resected, fixed, and embedded in paraffin. Procedures concerning sample and lectin microarray preparation are explained, alongside experimental considerations and approaches to data analysis.