Apprehending ganglioside diversity: a comprehensive methodological approach

作者:Masson Elodie A Y*; Sibille Estelle; Martine Lucy; Chaux Picquet Fanny; Bretillon Lionel; Berdeaux Olivier
来源:The Journal of Lipid Research, 2015, 56(9): 1821-1835.
DOI:10.1194/jlr.D060764

摘要

Gangliosides (GGs) make a wide family of glycosphingolipids ubiquitously expressed in mammalian tissues and particularly abundant in the brain and nervous system. They exhibit a huge diversity due to structural variations in both their oligosaccharidic chain and ceramide moiety, which represent a real analytical challenge. Since their discovery in the 1940s, methods have persistently improved until the emergence of LC/MS, which offers a high level of specificity and sensitivity and is suitable with high-throughput profiling studies. We describe here a comprehensive approach relying on various techniques and aiming at fully characterizing GGs in biological samples. First, total GG content was determined by a biochemical assay. Second, GG class composition was assessed by high-performance thin-layer chromatography followed by colorimetric revelation. Then, ceramide types of GG classes were identified, and their relative quantification was performed thanks to the development of a powerful and reliable LC/MS method. Finally, ceramides were structurally characterized, and minor and less common GG classes were identified using high-resolution MS. These methods were applied to the rat retina to provide an exhaustive description of its GG composition, giving the base for a better understanding of the precise roles of GGs in this tissue.

  • 出版日期2015-9