N-Glycan profiling of chondrocytes and fibroblast-like synoviocytes: Towards functional glycomics in osteoarthritis.

N-Glycosylation reflects phenotypic changes of osteoarthritic cells in vitro. Like chondrocytes, fibroblast-like synoviocytes express N-glycans that are suited to bind galectins, and these proteins serve as inducers of pro-inflammatory markers in these cells. Synoviocytes can thus contribute to disease progression in osteoarthritis in situ.