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Protein glycosylation responds sensitively to disease states. It is implicated in every hallmark of cancer and has recently started to be considered as a hallmark itself. Changes in N‐glycosylation microheterogeneity are more dramatic than those of protein expression due to the non‐template nature of protein glycosylation. This enables their potential use in serum‐based diagnostics. Here, we perform glycopeptidomics on serum from patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), compared to controls and comparing between cancers based on etiology (human papilloma virus‐ positive or negative). Using MS2, we then targeted glycoforms, significantly different between the groups, to identify their glycopeptide compositions. Simultaneously we investigate the same serum proteins, comparing whether N‐glycosylation changes reflect protein‐level changes. Significant glycoforms were identified from proteins such as alpha‐1‐antitrypsin (SERPINA1), haptoglobin, and different immunoglobulins. SERPINA1 had glycovariance at 2 N‐glycosylation sites, that were up to 35 times more abundant in even early‐stage OPSCCs, despite minimal differences between SERPINA1 protein levels between groups. Some identified glycoforms' fold changes (FCs) were in line with serum protein level FCs, others were less abundant in early‐stage cancers but with great variance in higher‐stage cancers, such as on immunoglobulin heavy constant gamma 2, despite no change in protein levels. Such findings indicate that glycovariant analysis might be more beneficial than proteomic analysis, which is yet to be fruitful in the search for biomarkers. Highly sensitive glycopeptide changes could potentially be used in the future for cancer screening. Additionally, characterizing the glycopeptide changes in OPSCC is valuable in the search for potential therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird nests can be complex bio-engineered structures constructed from a range of materials to provide a site for incubation, and in many species chick rearing. Reports of the materials used in nest walls and cup linings are typically qualitative and do not assist in understanding the functional properties of the structure as a whole. This paper provides size and composition data for nests from four species of the Motacillidae family: the meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis), pied wagtail (Motacilla alba), grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea), and the yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava), three species of the Sylviidae family: willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), Eurasian reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), and the dunnock (Prunella modularis) of the Prunellidae family. Three hypotheses were tested: do nest dimensions correlate with body mass? Is it possible to distinguish among species based on their nest composition; and for individual species? Is it possible to distinguish between the cup lining and outer nest wall based on the materials used in construction? Nest composition and size varied among species although the degree of intra-specific variation was different. Size of a nest was unrelated to average female adult body mass. Composition relied on similar types of materials but in differing quantities between species. It was possible to distinguish among species in terms of nest construction, and between the cup lining and the outer nest, on the basis of at least one of the component materials. By providing quantitative data on composition, it may be possible in the future to understand better the structural, insulative and hydrological properties of the nest. Such information will be invaluable as we begin to develop an understanding of the factors that have driven evolution of nest architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]