Abstract
Glycosphingolipids containing two gala-6 core series were shown to be present in the leech, Hirudo nipponia. Their structures were determined as Gal β1-1Cer, Galα1-6Gal β1-1Cer, Galα1-6Galα1-6Galβ1-Cer and Galα1-6Galα1-6Galα1-6Galβ1-Cer as neutral glycolipids and cholinephosphate→6Galβ1-1Cer and cholinephosphate→6Galβ1-6Galβ1-1Cer as amphoteric glycolipids, based on the results of compositional and methylation analyses and exogalactosidase treatments. Ceramides mainly contained C16 : 0, C18 : 0, C22 : 0 and C24 : 0 fatty acids and dihydroxy- (C18 : 1, C19 : 1 and C22 : 3) and trihydroxy- (C18 : 0 and C19 : 0) sphingoids. The authors tentatively designated the disaccharide structure, Galα1-6Gal, as the “isoneogala-series”, which may represent a new type of glycosphingolipid core series.
