Gangliosides

This is a membranous lipid ceramide derivative, in which molecule, besides oligosaccharide, one or more sialic acid groups (N-acetylneuraminic acid – NANA) are attached.

Structure of Ganglioside GM1

Gangliosides are so named because they were first isolated from nerve ganglia found in gray matter of the brain. They are found in all vertebrate tissues. More than 60 different gangliosides have been identified from tissues, differing in the location and number of NANA attachments. Gangliosides are membrane lipids, important for intracellular signal transduction and cell interaction with other molecules, for example, they are surface antigens. Depending on the number of NANA residues, gangliosides are grouped into types:

Gangliosides with one NANA residue (M):

GM1; GM2; GM3.

Gangliosides with two NANA residues (D):

GD1a; GD1b; GD2; GD3.

Gangliosides with three NANA residues (T):

GT1b.

Gangliosides with four NANA residues (Q):

Gangliosides are synthesized and continuously degraded in cells. Degradation occurs in lysosomes. Defects in degradation are the cause of gangliosidoses pathologies. Like other lysosomal disorders involving the breakdown of compounds in lysosomes, gangliosidoses are classified as lysosomal diseases.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė