The structures of gangliosides from human granulocytes were elucidated by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry as their partially methylated alditol acetates. In human granulocytes besides GM3 (II3Neu5Ac-LacCer), neolacto-series gangliosides (IV3Neu5Ac-nLcOse4Cer, IV6Neu5Ac-nLcOse4Cer and VI3Neu5Ac-nLcOse6Cer) containing C24:1, and to some extent C22:0; and C16:0 fatty acid in their respective ceramide portions, were identified as major components. In this study we demonstrate that gangliosides from human granulocytes, the second most abundant cells in peripheral blood, can serve as receptors for influenza viruses A/PR/8/34 (H1N1), A/X-31 (H3N2), and a parainfluenza virus Sendai virus (HNF1, Z-strain). Viruses were found to exhibit specific adhesion to terminal Neu5Ac alpha 2-3Gal and/or Neu5Ac alpha 2-6Gal sequences as well as depending on the chain length of ganglioside carbohydrate backbones from human granulocytes, these important effector cells which represent the first line of defence in immunologically mediated reactions.

The isolation and structural characterization of fucosylated neolacto-series gangliosides with linear poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl chains from normal human granulocytes is described. Gangliosides were purified by consecutive use of anion exchange HPLC on Fractogel TMAE-650(S), adsorption and reversed phase HPLC on Nucleosil 50-7 and Nucleosil 7C18 columns, respectively. TLC immunostaining with carbohydrate specific monoclonal antibodies, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) of the permethylated derivatives and gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry (GC-EIMS) of partially methylated alditol acetates were used for structure elucidations. One ganglioside was identified as sialyl Lewis(x) antigen with nLcOse6Cer core, Neu5-Ac alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4 (Fuc alpha 1-3)GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc NAc beta 1-3 Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer. Furthermore, monosialylated ceramide deca-, undeca-, dodeca- and tridecasaccharides with three (nLcOse8Cer) and four (nLcOse10Cer) linear lactosaminyl repeats were identified, carring one to three fucoses. The ceramide portions were found to contain C18 sphingosine and predominantly C16:0 fatty acids. All monosialogangliosides were homogenous concerning their terminal alpha 2-3 Neu5Ac-sialylation, but different in their fucosylation status. Beside VI3Neu5Ac, V3Fuc-nLcOse6Cer, in two of the fucosylated polylactosaminyl ganglioside fractions the sialyl Lewis(x) epitope was found, whereas five species expressed the terminal VIM-2 motif. The role of protein linked sialy Lewis(x) epitope of human granulocytes as a ligand for endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (ELAM-1; E-selectin) and platelet activation-dependent granule external membrane protein (PADGEM; P-selectin) is well documented. However, the involvement of endothelial cells E-and/or P-selectin mediated cell-cell adhesion via lipid bound sialyl Lewis(x) and/or VIM-2 epitopes on human granulocytes has to be proved in further investigations.

B lymphocytes from CBA/J mice were stimulated in splenocyte cultures for 72 h with various endotoxins. Bisphosphoryl lipid A from Escherichia coli had the highest stimulatory effect followed by LPS of Citrobacter freundii and Salmonella minnesota as measured by [3H]thymidine uptake. Gangliosides of stimulated B cells (metabolically labeled with D-[1-14C]galactose and D-[1-14C]glucosamine) and unlabeled gangliosides from resting B cells (prepared from spleens without stimulus) were analyzed by high-performance TLC, DEAE anion-exchange HPLC, and immunostaining procedures. Contents of ganglioside-derived sialic acids, quantified by HPLC as their fluorescent derivatives, decreased from stimulated to resident B lymphocytes in the following order: LPS S. minnesota > LPS C. freundii > bisphosphoryl lipid A E. coli > resting B cells. Gangliosides of resting B cells contained more N-glycolyl- than N-acetylneuraminic acid, whereas inverse ratios were found in activated cells, indicating a shift from N-glycolyl- to N-acetylneuraminic acid due to stimulation. Furthermore, a higher disialoganglioside content was characteristic for activated B cells. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry was performed with permethylated mono- and disialoganglioside fractions of LPS S. minnesota and LPS C. freundii stimulated B cells. Major gangliosides were GM1a and GD1a beside minute amounts of GD1b. The structural heterogeneity in the gangliosides was caused by (a) N-substitution of the sialic acids with either acetyl or glycolyl groups, (b) variation in the long-chain base (sphingosine, sphinganine), and (c) substitution of the ceramide moiety by fatty acids of different chain length and degree of unsaturation (C16:0, C24:0,24:1).2+ p6

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The aim of the present study was to investigate the ganglioside expression of the highly metastatic murine lymphoreticular tumour cell line MDAY-D2. Cells were propagated under controlled pH conditions and oxygen supply in bioreactors of 1 and 7.5 l volumes by repeated batch fermentation. Gangliosides were isolated from 2.7 x 10(11) cells, purified by silica gel chromatography and separated into mono- and disialoganglioside fractions by preparative DEAE anion exchange high performance liquid chromatography. Individual gangliosides were obtained by preparative thin layer chromatography. Their structural features were established by immunostaining, fast atom bombardment and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. In addition to gangliosides of the GM1a-pathway (GM2, GM1a and GD1a) and GM1b (IV3Neu5Ac-GgOse4Cer) and GalNAc-GM1b of the Gm1b-pathway, the disialoganglioside GD1 alpha (IV3Neu5Ac, III6Neu5Ac-GgOse4Cer) was found in equal amounts compared to GD1a (IV3Neu5Ac, II3Neu5Ac-GgOse4Cer). All gangliosides were substituted with C24:0, 24:1 and C16:0 fatty acids, sphingosine and N-acetylneuraminic acid as the sole sialic acid.