Application Notes:
As this product is derived from a natural source, there may be variations in the sphingoid backbone.
Gangliosides1 are acidic glycosphingolipids containing sialic acids that form lipid rafts in the outer leaflet of the cell plasma
membrane, especially in neuronal cells in the central nervous system.2 They participate in cellular proliferation,
differentiation, adhesion, signal transduction, cell-to-cell interactions, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. The accumulation of
gangliosides has been linked to several diseases including Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease. An autoimmune response against
gangliosides can lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome. GM1 stimulates neuronal sprouting and enhances the action of nerve
growth factor (NGF) by directly and tightly associating with Trk, the high-affinity tyrosine kinase-type receptor for NGF. It
is the specific cell surface receptor for cholera toxin. Lyso gangliosides modulate cellular signaling and are being investigated
for their immunological potential. They are ideal for obtaining synthetic neoganglioside proteins which can promote an
efficient immune response against gangliosides and are therefore important biochemical tools.3 Lyso gangliosides also seem
to have damage limiting effects on nerve cells. Lyso ganglioside GM1 is ideal for making well-defined GM1, anti-ganglioside
GM1, and molecular probes.
References:
1. L. Svennerholm, et al. (eds.), Structure and Function of Gangliosides, New York, Plenum, 1980
2. T. Kolter, R. Proia, K. Sandhoff, “Combinatorial Ganglioside Biosynthesis” J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 277, No. 29, pp. 25859-25862, 2002
3. O. Valiente et al. “Preparation of deacetyl-, lyso-, and deacetyl-lyso-GM3 by selective alkaline hydrolysis of GM3 ganglioside” Journal of Lipid Research, Vol. 42 pp. 1318-1324, 2001