Composition of gangliosides and neutral glycosphingolipids of brain in classical Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease: more lyso-GM2 in Sandhoff disease?
Rosengren, B.; Månsson, J.E.; Svennerholm, L.
Journal of Neurochemistry 49(3): 834-840
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-3042 PMID: 3612128 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1987.tb00969.x
Accession: 039646740
The ganglioside composition of the brain from an individual with classical Tay-Sachs disease and from an individual with Sandhoff disease was examined using our new quantitative methods for ganglioside content determination and compared with that of age-matched control brains. The concentration of GM2 was found to be 12.2 and 13.0 mumol/g of fresh tissue in Tay-Sachs disease and in Sandhoff disease cerebral gray matter, respectively. GM2 was 86 and 87% respectively, of total gangliosides. The concentration of GM1 and, in particular, GM3 ganglioside was also found to be increased, whereas the concentration of the major di- and trisialogangliosides (GD1a, GD1b, and GT1b) had diminished markedly. There was no significant increase in level of any other ganglioside than lyso-GM2. Its concentration was 12 and 16 nmol/g in cerebral gray matter of two Tay-Sachs disease brains and 43 nmol/g in Sandhoff disease brain. The Sandhoff disease brain also differed from the classical Tay-Sachs disease brain by having a much higher concentration of gangliotriaosylceramide and globotetraosylceramide. The structures of relevant gangliosides and neutral glycolipids were established by fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry and permethylation studies.
