The minimum information required for a glycomics experiment (MIRAGE) project: improving the standards for reporting lectin microarray data.

The MIRAGE (Minimum Information Required for a Glycomics Experiment) project has been established by experts in glycobiology, glycoanalytics, and glycoinformatics under the auspieces of the Beilstein-Institut. The working group aims to develop guidelines for reporting results from various experiments and analyses conducted in structural and functional studies of glycans in the scientific literature. Previous guidelines have been established for glycomic analytics, including mass spectrometry and glycan microarrays. Lectin microarrays are used worldwide for glycan profiling of various biological samples, but there are often insufficient reports on information about experimental methods such as sample preparation and fluorescence labeling. Here, we propose guidelines specifically designed to improve the standards for reporting data from lectin microarray analyses. For each of the seven areas in the workflow of a lectin microarray experiment, we provide recommendations for the minimum information that should be included when reporting results. When adopted by the scientific community the MIRAGE lectin microarray guidelines are expected to enhance data interpretation, facilitate comparison of data between laboratories and encourage the deposition of lectin microarray data in international databases.