The Occurrence of GM₄ and GM₂ in Erythrocytes from Inbred Strains of Mice

抄録

Glycolipids of erythrocytes from inbred mice, C3H/He and CDF₁, were analyzed. Galactosylceramide, glucosylceramide, GM₄ and GM₂ were separated and their structures were established. Sialic acid of GM₄ was exclusively N-acetylneuraminic acid, while GM₂ contained only N-glycolylneuraminic acid. The fatty acid composition of GM₄ was very similar to that of galactosylceramide, and a similarity was also found between that of GM₂ and glucosylceramide. These results suggest that erythroid cells of mice have two separate biosynthetic pathways of gangliosides. One is the pathway to GM₄ (NeuAc) from galactosylceramide, and the other is that for synthesizing GM₂ (NeuGc) from glucosylceramide.