Fast and facile analysis of glycosylation and phosphorylation of fibrinogen from human plasma-correlation with liver cancer and liver cirrhosis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest cancers due to its late diagnosis with the main risk factor being liver cirrhosis (LC). Glycan structures from glycoproteins are usually altered in cancer. Blood plasma from 111 healthy and sick donors was analyzed to determine the post-translational modifications (PTM) of intact Aα-, Bβ-, and γ-subunits of fibrinogen, a glycoprotein predominantly produced in liver cells.