Chapter 8 - Integration of Glycomics Knowledge and Data

Abstract

The field of Glycomics has emerged as a result of technical advances that allow high-throughput, high-sensitivity analysis of structurally complex molecules. The complexity of glycan biosynthesis makes its analysis difficult, limiting glycomics knowledge of the mechanisms by which glycans carry out their biological functions. This chapter provides an overview of the general problem of integrating glycomics information and structural databases. Development of tools is required to create informatics systems that significantly advance our understanding of glycobiology. The basic infrastructure for semantic integration of glycomics data includes knowledge repositories, data repositories and tools for glycoinformatics that are required for high-throughput data acquisition, integration of the data, and discovery of knowledge that is inferred by the data. This provides an understanding of the structure and biosynthesis of glycans. These powerful new analytical techniques produce large amounts of information-rich raw data, making it necessary to develop equally powerful informatics techniques that process and mine data in order to understand its biological implications in detail. The highest priority is the extension and utilization of curational tools to populate ontologies with trusted knowledge in the glycomics domain. Ontological specification of the fundamental knowledge serves as a springboard for the further development of powerful tools for interpreting glycomics data by providing a basis for the expressive annotation of experimental data, facilitating the realization of its biological relevance.