The majority of cell-surface and secreted proteins are glycosylated, which can directly affect their macromolecular interactions, stability, and localization. Investigating these effects is critical to developing a complete understanding of the role of glycoproteins in fundamental biology and human disease. The development of selective and unique chemical reactions have revolutionized the visualization, identification, and characterization of glycoproteins. Here, we review the chemical methods that have been created to enable the visualization of the major types of cell-surface glycoproteins in living systems, from mammalian cells to whole animals.
Keywords: Cell-surface glycosylation; Chemical reporters; Fluorescent visualization.