M. Hoshi, M. Williams, Y. Kishimoto
Sep 1, 1973
Citations
1
Influential Citations
68
Citations
Journal
Journal of Neurochemistry
Abstract
CEREBROSIDES are a group of compounds with a general structure of 1-0-/3-glycosyl-N-acy1 sphingosine. Galactose is the predominant hexose found in the cerebral cerebrosides ; however, glucose also has been isolated and identified from bovine brain (NISHIMURA and YAMAKAWA, 1968). The brain cere brosides contain 2-hydroxy fatty acid (HFA) as well as nonhydroxy fatty acids (NFA), both with long (Cl6-Cz0) and very long (C22-C26) carbon chains (KISHIMOTO and RADIN, 1966~). Galactosyl ceramide is characteristically enriched in myelin and also acts as a precursor of cerebroside sulphates, which are also present in high concentration in myefin lipids. Glucosyl ceramides are synthesized probably in the neurons (RADIN et a/., 1972) and are the precursor of gangliosides (BASU, et al., 1968). The fatty acid composition of gangliosides is quite different from that of galactosyl ceramide and comprises only C16-C20 nonhydroxy fatty acids (KISHIMOTO and RADIN, 19666). Cerebrosides accumulate actively during myelination, and continue to increase at a slower rate until the later stages of life of the animals (KISHIMOTO and RADIN, 1959; KISHIMOTO et al., 19656; WELLS and DITTMER, 1967; HAWSER, 1968). Although cerebrosides isolated from the rat brain during and after the active myelination period have been well characterized (KISHIMOTO and RADIN, 1966a), those from the early stage of brain development, namely before or during the early stages of myelination have not been well characterized. Since cerebrosides play an important role as a building material of the brain and as a precursor of the complex glycosphingolipids, such as gangliosides or sulphatides, we think it important to understand the nature of cerebrosides a t the early stages of brain development. In this communication, we report on the structure of rat brain cerebrosides, with respect to their composition of fatty acids and hexoses isolated at the very early stages of growth.