Glycan atlassing is a method for the detection of the spatial organization of cell-surface glycosylation patterns at nanoscale. It shows that such patterns reflect the functional state of the cell, providing direct evidence that the cell-surface glycome encodes biological information via its spatial organization.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References
Varki, A. & Kornfeld, S. in Essentials of Glycobiology (eds Varki, A. et al.) 1–20 (2022). A book chapter that introduces the relevance of cellular glycosylation.
Möckl, L. The emerging role of the mammalian glycocalyx in functional membrane organization and immune system regulation. Front. Cell Dev. Biol. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2020.00253 (2020). A review that discusses the emerging functional relevance of the cell-surface glycome.
Riley, N., Bertozzi, C. & Pitteri, S. A pragmatic guide to enrichment strategies for mass spectrometry-based glycoproteomics. Mol. Cell. Proteomics 20, 100029 (2021). A paper that presents strategies for glycoproteomic analysis.
Almahayni, K. & Möckl, L. Setting the stage for universal pharmacological targeting of the glycocalyx. Curr. Top. Mem. 91, 91–88 (2023). A review that discusses the potential of therapeutic targeting of the glycocalyx.
Lelek, M. et al. Single-molecule localization microscopy. Nat. Rev. Methods Primers 1, 39 (2021). A review that presents the fundamentals of single-molecule localization microscopy.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This is a summary of: Joseph, D. M. et al. Glycan atlassing enables functional tracing of cell state. Nat. Nanotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-026-02151-y (2026).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Decoding the cell state from the nanoscale architecture of the cell-surface glycome. Nat. Nanotechnol. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-026-02154-9
Published:
Version of record:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-026-02154-9