Tissue and developmental specificity of a polysialo-ganglioside species in the amphibian Xenopus.

ABSTRACT

Xenopus embryos contain a considerable amount of a polysialo-ganglioside not yet fully characterized; in this paper, we will refer to it as ganglioside XI. Preliminary experiments indicate asialo-GMI as the core structure of the ganglioside XI and palmitic and oleic acid as the fatty acids of the ceramide moiety. Further analyses by comparative 2D-TLC with adult fish and chick embryo brains indicate the pentasialilated ganglioside GP1c as the possible structure of XI. In the adult Xenopus, XI characterizes the ganglioside pattern of the central nervous system while is absent in all the other tested tissues. At least two other more polar (presumably richer in sialic acid) bands are often visible under XI, both in embryos and in brain and spinal cord tissues of adult Xenopus. The persistence of polysialo-gangliosides in the brain and spinal cord of adult amphibians could serve to guarantee a proper functioning of the central nervous system at low body temperature.