Glycome Atlas
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Glycome Atlas
concept
Also known as SNFG, symbol nomenclature for glycans, glycan symbols
Gal (β1-4) → GlcNAc; Neu5Ac (α2-3) → Gal; Fuc (α1-3) → GlcNAc
How to read these diagrams (SNFG)
Each shape is a class of sugar and each colour a specific one. Structures read right to left, with the reducing end (the point of attachment) on the right.
Plain-language answer
The Symbol Nomenclature for Glycans, or SNFG, is a standard set of colored shapes for drawing sugars. A blue square always means one sugar, a green circle another, so scientists everywhere can read glycan diagrams the same way.1
A shared visual language makes glycan science readable across papers, databases, and tools, reducing confusion in a field where structures are complex. It is the notation used throughout modern glycobiology resources.12
Technical detail
SNFG is a community-curated standard that maps monosaccharides to defined colored geometric symbols with rules for linkage and ambiguity, enabling unambiguous, consistent depiction of glycan structures.1
Each monosaccharide class is assigned a shape, and stereochemical variants share a shape with distinct colors, so a reader can decode composition directly from the diagram; linkage information is added as defined text.1
The nomenclature is maintained by a community discussion group that periodically updates the rules, including guidance for non-mammalian sugars and for depicting ambiguous structures.1
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