Hello, I would like to detect glycans on the cell surface of live cells by flow cytometry, using lectins but then I need to remove the lectin binding. Does anyone know how this can be done and if it alters the properties of the glycans?
Do you want to remove the glycan while lectin is still bound or you want to remove lectin altogether with the cell? I worked extensively on glycan-lectin interaction but using ESI MS.
Of course, lectin binding is reversible. You only have to use a competitor (for instance free sugar) in a concentration large enough to break the interaction, then wash your cells in order to get rid of the lectin and competitor .