Glycoproteomics: Past, present and future

This invited paper charts the origins and progress of glycoproteomics mass spectrometry research at Imperial College, and in celebration of Donald Hunt's 65th birthday it puts into perspective some of the scientific influence which each group has had on the other over a period of some 35 years. We then describe and illustrate current nano-LC–ES–MS and MS/MS strategies for the structural assignment of N-linked glycosylation in proteins involved in sperm/egg fertilisation. Finally, we present recent progress in the automated interpretation of these glycopeptide data sets, which promises to supersede manual interpretation for many applications.