Biomaterial Database

[Molecular diversity of brain ganglioside and its biological significance]. 1994

Y Hirabayashi

Frontier Research Program, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Saitama, Japan.

Gangliosides are sialic acid containing glycosphingolipids found in highest concentrations in central nervous tissues (CNS). More than 100 species of gangliosides including extremely minor components exist in CNS tissues. We have developed a new method using Q-Sepharose to efficiently purify them from complex mixtures of bovine brain gangliosides. Among the isolated gangliosides a unique new series of gangliosides was shown to exist in the polysialoganglioside fraction. They possessed N-acetylneuraminic acid attached to N-acetylgalactosamine in alpha 2-6 linkage. The immunohistochemical staining of human and rat brains with specific monoclonal antibody to the gangliosides showed that they are stained intensely the neuropile of dorsal horn on spinal cord, being presumably expressed on the cholinergic nerve terminals. On the basis of these observations, extremely minor species may play significant roles in CNS. The present data also indicated that brain tissues contain a new type of alpha 2-6 sialytransferase to act on GalNAc in the gangliotetraose structure.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008968	Molecular Conformation	The characteristic three-dimensional shape of a molecule.	Molecular Configuration,3D Molecular Structure,Configuration, Molecular,Molecular Structure, Three Dimensional,Three Dimensional Molecular Structure,3D Molecular Structures,Configurations, Molecular,Conformation, Molecular,Conformations, Molecular,Molecular Configurations,Molecular Conformations,Molecular Structure, 3D,Molecular Structures, 3D,Structure, 3D Molecular,Structures, 3D Molecular
D001921	Brain	The part of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM that is contained within the skull (CRANIUM). Arising from the NEURAL TUBE, the embryonic brain is comprised of three major parts including PROSENCEPHALON (the forebrain); MESENCEPHALON (the midbrain); and RHOMBENCEPHALON (the hindbrain). The developed brain consists of CEREBRUM; CEREBELLUM; and other structures in the BRAIN STEM.	Encephalon
D005732	Gangliosides	A subclass of ACIDIC GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS. They contain one or more sialic acid (N-ACETYLNEURAMINIC ACID) residues. Using the Svennerholm system of abbrevations, gangliosides are designated G for ganglioside, plus subscript M, D, or T for mono-, di-, or trisialo, respectively, the subscript letter being followed by a subscript arabic numeral to indicated sequence of migration in thin-layer chromatograms. (From Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1997)	Ganglioside,Sialoglycosphingolipids
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia