Elevated cerebrospinal fluid sphingomyelin levels in prodromal Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, but still without known disease mechanism, proper treatment and efficient diagnostic tools for an early stage diagnosis. There is increasing evidence that lipids, especially cholesterol and sphingolipids, may play a role in pathological processes that occur in the AD brain even in very early stages of the disease. However, lipid changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of individuals with AD have not been well studied. In previous work, we developed a reproducible and sensitive nano-HPLC-MS method for CSF phospholipids screening and conducted a pilot study to find potential phospholipid changes in CSF from individuals with AD dementia. We observed a slight increase (24%) of sphingomyelin (SM) in CSF samples from patients with probable AD compared to non-demented controls. The goal of this work was to validate our findings and to analyze how SM CSF levels change in different stages of AD from prodromal to mild and moderate AD. We found significantly increased SM levels (50.4±11.2%, p=0.003) in the CSF from individuals with prodromal AD compared to cognitively normal controls, but no change in CSF SM levels between mild and moderate AD groups and cognitively normal controls. These results suggest that alterations in the SM metabolism may contribute to early pathological processes leading to AD.

Nano-HPLC-MS analysis of phospholipids in cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer's disease patients--a pilot study.

There is emerging evidence that lipids play an important role in many neurodegenerative processes, for example in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although different lipid alterations in the AD brain have been reported, there have only been very few investigations of lipid changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Recent developments in mass spectrometry (MS) have enabled fast and sensitive detection of lipid species in different biological matrixes. In this study we developed an on-line HPLC-MS method for phospholipid profiling in the CSF based on nano-HPLC separation using an Amide column and detection with electrospray (ESI) quadrupole-time of flight (QTOF) MS. We achieved good separation, reproducibility, and sensitivity in monitoring of the major phospholipid classes, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and sphingomyelin (SM) in CSF. To emphasize the applicability of the method, a pilot study was performed on a group of CSF samples (N = 16) from individuals with probable AD and non-demented controls. We observed a statistically significant increase of SM levels (24.3 ± 2.4%) in CSF from probable AD individuals vs. controls. Our findings indicate that SM levels in the CSF could potentially provide a new lead in AD biomarker research, and show the potential of the method for disease-associated CSF phospholipid screening.

Software platform for high-throughput glycomics.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a key tool for structural analysis of oligosaccharides because of its high accuracy, sensitivity, and speed on one hand and because of the general and flexible protocols on the other. In glycomics projects the analysis of mass spectra is the speed determining step because, unlike in proteomics, software platforms for high-throughput glycan mass spectra interpretation are not fully automated and still depend on highly specialized knowledge. For the publicly available software, initial steps for manual MS data preprocessing are required mostly considering operations with glycan structures already stored in databases. In particular, monoisotopic peaks have to be manually determined or imported. In this contribution we describe our development of a platform for MS data evaluation in glycomics that demands only a low human intervention. The proposed platform named SysBioWare is constructed to allow import of the raw MS data to the spectrum browser and to perform isotopic grouping of detected peaks after de-noising and wavelet analysis. Monoisotopic m/z values render peak list association with the raw MS spectrum and allow compositional assignment according to the tuned building block library. This platform has been applied to human urine glycome as a potent tool for rapid assignment of already known or/and novel structures.

Determination of phosphorylation sites in lipooligosaccharides from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC 125 grown at 15 degrees C and 25 degrees C by nano-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Lipooligosaccharides (LOSs) are macromolecules present on the external cellular membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, structurally made of two distinct regions, lipid A and Core. By varying their growth temperature, bacteria such as psychrophiles change the phosphorylation distribution of the LOSs produced. The level of phosphorylation and the phosphate group positions in LOSs produced by the extremophile psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC 125, grown at 15 degrees C and 25 degrees C, were investigated by nano-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (nanoESI-QTOF-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The samples, obtained by phenol/chloroform/petroleum ether (PCP) extraction of dried cells, were treated with hydrazine at 37 degrees C in order to reduce the heterogeneity by removal of the ester-linked fatty acid moieties. The molecular ion distributions in these LOS fractions were investigated in negative ion mode. Based on these data it was postulated that the sample grown at 25 degrees C contained four phosphate groups while that at 15 degrees C contained three. In order to determine phosphorylation sites in sugar chains, the samples were submitted to low collision energy MS/MS for sequencing. In the sample with three phosphates, one was found to be linked to the tetrasaccharide Core region, more precisely to position C-4 of the Kdo unit. The two remaining phosphate groups were both linked to the 2-acylamide-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose of the lipid A moiety, and two possible distributions could be postulated on the basis of the fragmentation pattern obtained; in the first case both phosphate groups are linked as a pyrophosphate moiety to position C-1 of the proximal glucosamine (reducing residue), while in the second case one phosphate is linked to position C-1 of the proximal glucosamine and the other to position C-4' of the distal glucosamine (non-reducing residue). This distribution was also found in the lipid A moiety of the tetraphosphorylated sample grown at 25 degrees C, which bears two phosphate groups on the Core region, one on position C-4 of the Kdo and the other on position C-7 or C-8 of the same residue. The phosphate locations were derived from the intra-ring cleavage ions of sugar moieties in the LOSs obtained by an optimized CID procedure using negative ion QTOF-MS/MS.

A mutation in the human MPDU1 gene causes congenital disorder of glycosylation type If (CDG-If).

We describe a new congenital disorder of glycosylation, CDG-If. The patient has severe psychomotor retardation, seizures, failure to thrive, dry skin and scaling with erythroderma, and impaired vision. CDG-If is caused by a defect in the gene MPDU1, the human homologue of hamster Lec35, and is the first disorder to affect the use, rather than the biosynthesis, of donor substrates for lipid-linked oligosaccharides. This leads to the synthesis of incomplete and poorly transferred precursor oligosaccharides lacking both mannose and glucose residues. The patient has a homozygous point mutation (221T-->C, L74S) in a semiconserved amino acid of MPDU1. Chinese hamster ovary Lec35 cells lack a functional Lec35 gene and synthesize truncated lipid-linked oligosaccharides similar to the patient's. They lack glucose and mannose residues donated by Glc-P-Dol and Man-P-Dol. Transfection with the normal human MPDU1 allele nearly completely restores normal glycosylation, whereas transfection with the patient's MPDU1 allele only weakly restores normal glycosylation. This work provides a new clinical picture for another CDG that may involve synthesis of multiple types of glycoconjugates.

Use of nonspecific cleavage products for protein sequence analysis as shown on calcyclin isolated from human granulocytes.

In this paper, analysis strategies developed for a sequencing problem concerning the identification of an S100 protein isolated from human granulocytes are discussed. The analysis of a trypsinized lyophilized sample suggested the presence of a number of peptides which are non-tryptic in origin. During purification of proteins from cell lysates nonspecific cleavage can be observed which may reflect biological processes and can become an unavoidable analytical problem. Current mass spectrometric software is evaluated for the analysis of nonspecific digests in this context. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-MS/MS, and selected ion monitoring (SIM)-MS/MS have been used for peptide analysis and in addition HPLC-MS was carried out for protein analysis leading to the detection of an N-terminal modification of the protein. The success of the study is mainly due to the careful investigation of nonspecific cleavage products. Data obtained from the routine mass spectrometric analysis of an in-gel-digest allowed the identification of this protein as S100 calcium-binding protein A6-calcyclin whose expression in granulocytes has not been described so far.

Production and molecular characterization of clinical phase i anti-melanoma mouse IgG3 monoclonal antibody R24.

R24 is a mouse IgG3 monoclonal antibody (mab) that reacts with the ganglioside GD3 expressed by cells of neuroectodermal origin. The anti-tumor activity of R24 has been demonstrated in initial phase I and pilot trials in patients suffering from metastatic melanoma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biotechnological production and particularly the glycosylation of this clinically important antibody. Growth, metabolism, and IgG production of R24 secreting hybridoma cells were analyzed on 1 L bioreactor bench scale using repeated-batch mode. The amount of 57 mg of pure mab was obtained from 1.6 L crude supernatant by protein A chromatography. Western blot binding assays with sugar-specific lectins revealed glycosylation of the heavy chains, whereas no carbohydrates were detectable on the light chains. Because glycosylation is essential for antibody effector functions in vivo (such as complement fixation or binding to macrophage Fc receptors), mab R24 was subjected to both enzymatic deglycosylation using PNGase F and chemical deglycosylation by hydrazinolysis. Released glycans were structurally characterized by high pH anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD), matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF), and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight (ESI-QTOF) mass spectrometry. Six major biantennary chains of the complex glycosylation phenotype were found with variations in galactosylation and core fucosylation. The predominant N-linked structure, indicating the high degree of agalactosyl glycoforms, was the agalacto biantennary chain with a relative percentage of 57% (51% core-fucosylated, 6% nonfucosylated). The second most abundant oligosaccharide was the monogalacto biantennary chain amounting to 30% (26% core- and 4% nonfucosylated). The antibody contained 0.46 microg sialic acid per mg protein, which splits into 0.243 microg Neu5Gc and 0.217 microg Neu5Ac, corresponding to a Neu5Ac:Neu5Gc ratio of 1:1.06. Furthermore, the antigen specificity of R24 was determined by immunodetection of GD3 on thin-layer chromatograms, and real time GD3-antibody binding interactions were measured with an optical biosensor (BIAcore). From the structural data obtained in this study it is concluded that glycosylation of the antibody may be important in the clinical outcome of targeted anti-cancer immunotherapy.

Gangliosides from human granulocytes: a nano-ESI QTOF mass spectrometry fucosylation study of low abundance species in complex mixtures.

Nano-ESI QTOF MS was used for sensitive mapping and sequencing of single molecular species in complex ganglioside mixtures obtained from human granulocytes, where the fucosylated carbohydrate chains of granulocyte gangliosides carry sLex and VIM-2 epitopes postulated to interact with E-selectin of the blood vessel wall in the early phase of the inflammation process. Functionally relevant components are expressed only at a low level, but using the negative ion detection it is possible to trace and identify such species, which were not detectable even by TLC. Advantage of the low-energy CID fragmentation for low abundance components of the complex ganglioside mixtures in the negative ion mode is to produce clear-cut series of fragment ions for sequencing. Fucosylation analysis carried out for each molecular species by MS/MS permits the clear distinction between sLex and VIM-2 epitope. VIM-2 epitope was expressed in all species with a longer sugar core, while in the short oligosaccharide chain with a sLex only, using biological material at a mid-femtomol level detection.

Glycoscreening by on-line sheathless capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization-quadrupole time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry.

An analytical approach based on sheathless on-line coupling of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and electrospray ionization (ESI) quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS) has been developed for providing new insight into the characterization of carbohydrate mixtures. The home-built sheathless CE/

Direct determination of glycosylation sites in O-fucosylated glycopeptides using nano-electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

O-Fucosylation is an unusual posttranslational modification present in several proteins that play important roles in physiological processes such as coagulation, cell signaling and metastasis. Although the exact function of the modification is still unclear, the number of proteins found to be modified is increasing, and there is a need for further structural and functional analyses. Here we report on a rapid and straightforward approach in the analysis of glycosylation status and determination of glycosylation sites in O-fucosylated glycopeptides using nano-electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight (nano-ESI Q-TOF) mass spectrometry. In a single measurement of previously chemically untreated O-fucosylated peptides originating from the thrombospondin-1 repeats, we were able to determine the glycosylation status of the analyzed peptide, the glycosylation site, and the glycan structure. The abundance of glycosylated peptide fragment ions in MS(2) spectra suggests that nano-ESI Q-TOF mass spectrometry can be used as a general approach in structural studies of O-fucosylation in proteins.

Anencephaly: structural characterization of gangliosides in defined brain regions.

Gangliosides from histopathologically-defined human cerebrum-resembling remnant and cerebellum from 37 and 30 gestational week-old anencephaluses were identified using mass spectrometry and high performance thin layer chromatography combined with immunochemical analysis in comparison to respective normal newborn/fetal and adult brain regions. A novel strategy of nano-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem MS has been developed for identification of ganglioside components in complex mixtures. By morphoanatomical and histological investigation the anencephalic cerebral remnant was found to be aberrant, while the anencephalic cerebellum was defined as normal. Total ganglioside concentrations in the anencephalic cerebral remnant and the cerebellum were 34% and 13% lower in relation to the age-matched controls. In the cerebral remnant, GD3, GM2 and GT1b were elevated, while GD1a was decreased in the anencephalic cerebral remnant, but enriched in anencephalic cerebellum. GQ1b was reduced in both anencephalic regions. Gg4Cer, GM1b and GD1alpha, members of the alpha-series biosynthetic pathway, and neolacto-series gangliosides were found to be present in anencephalic, as well as in normal, fetal and adult brain tissues, indicating the occurrence of these biosynthetic pathways in human brain. In both cerebral and cerebellar anencephalic tissues, GM1b, GD1alpha, nLM1 and nLD1 were expressed at a higher rate in relation to normal tissue. It can be demonstrated that the anencephalic cerebral remnant, as a primitive brain structure, represents a naturally-occurring model to study the ganglioside involvement in induction of aberrant brain development.

Nano-electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of gangliosides from human brain tissue.

A general approach for the detection and structural elucidation of brain ganglioside species GM1, GD1 and GT1 by nano-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight (nanoESI-QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS), using combined data from MS and MS/MS analysis of isolated native ganglioside fractions in negative ion mode and their permethylated counterparts in the positive ion mode is presented. This approach was designed to detect and sequence gangliosides present in preparatively isolated ganglioside fractions from pathological brain samples available in only very limited amounts. In these fractions mixtures of homologue and isobaric structures are present, depending on the ceramide composition and the position of the sialic acid attachment site. The interpretation of data for the entire sequence, derived from A, B, C and Y ions by nanoESI-QTOFMS/MS in the negative ion mode of native fractions, can be compromised by ions arising from double and triple internal cleavages. To distinguish between isobaric carbohydrate structures in gangliosides, such as monosialogangliosides GM1a and GM1b, disialogangliosides GD1a, GD1b and GD1c or trisialogangliosides GT1b, GT1c and GT1d, the samples were analysed after permethylation in the positive ion nanoESI-QTOFMS/MS mode, providing set of data, which allows a clear distinction for assignment of outer and inner fragment ions according to their m/z values. The fragmentation patterns from native gangliosides obtained by low-energy collision induced dissociation (CID) by nanoESI-QTOF show common behaviour and follow inherent rules. The combined set of data from the negative and positive ion mode low-energy CID can serve for the detection of structural isomers in mixtures, and to trace new, not previously detected, components.

Glycoprotein identification and localization of O-glycosylation sites by mass spectrometric analysis of deglycosylated/alkylaminylated peptide fragments.

In-gel digestion of densely O-glycosylated proteins, an essential step in proteome analysis, is often hampered by steric hindrance of the proteases. To overcome this technical problem a simple and convenient method has been developed, which combines several advantages: (1) Approximately 70% of the oligosaccharides are cleaved without significant protein hydrolysis at the optimal reaction conditions of 70% ethylamine, and quantitative cleavage is achieved with 40% methylamine, at 50 degrees C. (2) To the unsaturated derivatives of Ser and Thr the alkylamine is added as a label of previous O-glycosylation sites. (3) The alkylaminylated protein is effectively cleaved by proteolysis. (4) The modified peptides are identified by MALDI mass spectrometry under consideration of incremental mass increases. (5) The alkylamine label is stable under MALDI post-source-decay analysis as well as in collision-induced dissociation experiments allowing sequencing and peptide localization of O-glycosylation sites. Applicability of the method is evaluated with a series of synthetic glycopeptides, the densely O-glycosylated human glycophorin A, and with the mucin MUC1 from human milk fat globule membranes.

C-mannosylation and O-fucosylation of the thrombospondin type 1 module.

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a multidomain protein that has been implicated in cell adhesion, motility, and growth. Some of these functions have been localized to the three thrombospondin type 1 repeats (TSRs), modules of approximately 60 amino acids in length with conserved Cys and Trp residues. The Trp residues occur in WXXW patterns, which are the recognition motifs for protein C-mannosylation. This modification involves the attachment of an alpha-mannosyl residue to the C-2 atom of the first tryptophan. Analysis of human platelet TSP-1 revealed that Trp-368, -420, -423, and -480 are C-mannosylated. Mannosylation also occurred in recombinant, baculovirally expressed TSR modules from Sf9 and "High Five" cells, contradictory to earlier reports that such cells do not carry out this reaction. In the course of these studies it was appreciated that the TSRs in TSP-1 undergo a second form of unusual glycosylation. By using a novel mass spectrometric approach, it was found that Ser-377, Thr-432, and Thr-489 in the motif CSX(S/T)CG carry the O-linked disaccharide Glc-Fuc-O-Ser/Thr. This is the first protein in which such a disaccharide has been identified, although protein O-fucosylation is well described in epidermal growth factor-like modules. Both C- and O-glycosylations take place on residues that have been implicated in the interaction of TSP-1 with glycosaminoglycans or other cellular receptors.

High density O-glycosylation on tandem repeat peptide from secretory MUC1 of T47D breast cancer cells.

The site-specific O-glycosylation of MUC1 tandem repeat peptides from secretory mucin of T47D breast cancer cells was analyzed. After affinity isolation on immobilized BC3 antibody, MUC1 was partially deglycosylated by enzymatic treatment with alpha-sialidase/beta-galactosidase and fragmented by proteolytic cleavage with the Arg-C-specific endopeptidase clostripain. The PAP20 glycopeptides were isolated by reversed phase high pressure liquid chromatography and subjected to the structural analyses by quadrupole time-of-flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and to the sequencing by Edman degradation. All five positions of the repeat peptide were revealed as O-glycosylation targets in the tumor cell, including the Thr within the DTR motif. The degree of substitution was estimated to average 4.8 glycans per repeat, which compares to 2.6 glycosylated sites per repeat for the mucin from milk (Müller, S., Goletz, S., Packer, N., Gooley, A. A., Lawson, A. M., and Hanisch, F.-G. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 24780-24793). In addition to a modification by glycosylation, the immunodominant DTR motif on T47D-MUC1 is altered by amino acid replacements (PAPGSTAPAAHGVTSAPESR), which were revealed in about 50% of PAP20 peptides. The high incidence of these replacements and their detection also in other cancer cell lines imply that the conserved tandem repeat domain of MUC1 is polymorphic with respect to the peptide sequence.

Purification and MALDI-MS characterization of stressin, a stress-associated glycoprotein.

Glycoconjugates have a whole spectrum of biological roles, from those that appear trivial to those that are crucial. Results accumulated in the past years indicate they might also play an important role in the response to stress, a complex physiological response of the human organism to various threats. We have recently identified stressin, a human serum glycoprotein, which was found to be increased under stress conditions. Here we report the purification of stressin from sera of professional soldiers and partial characterization of its protein and carbohydrate parts using lectin blotting and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Stressin was purified using a combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography, preparative gel electrophoresis and reverse-phase HPLC. It was found to be a highly glycosylated protein. Only 21.9 kDa (out of 36.7 kDa) was the protein part, whereas the remaining 40% of the mass originated from N-linked oligosaccharides. The carbohydrate part contained 12 sialic acids moieties, nearly 90% of which were lost due to post-source decay in the field-free tube. Tryptic fragments were produced from glycosylated and deglycosylated stressin, separated by reverse-phase HPLC and their exact molecular masses were determined using MALDI-MS. Comparison with tryptic maps of other proteins in computer databases indicated that stressin does not correspond to any already described protein.

Characterization of O-glycosylation sites in MUC2 glycopeptides by nanoelectrospray QTOF mass spectrometry.

Sequencing of eight O-glycosylated peptides by nanoESI-QTOF-MS/MS was carried out to provide a sensitive general characterization method for determination of glycosylation site(s) and of the type of the attached carbohydrate moiety in a single experiment. The glycopeptide structures were chosen to demonstrate the feasibility of this sensitive and accurate approach, where isobaric peptide structures either (i) with the same number of attachment sites in different position in the peptide backbone, and (ii) with the same number of sugar moieties distributed on different attachment sites in the peptide backbone, can be clearly distinguished. Beside the B-type carbohydrate sequence ions of high abundance, it is possible to register diagnostic b- and y-type glycosylated peptide ions of lower abundance due to high dynamic range of the QTOF analyser. The applicability of this approach for detailed analysis of highly clustered O-glycan structures as found in biological mucin samples is discussed.

Analysis of the pre-S2 N- and O-linked glycans of the M surface protein from human hepatitis B virus.

The surface antigen of hepatitis B virus comprises a nested set of small (S), middle (M), and large (L) proteins, all of which are partially glycosylated in their S domains. The pre-S2 domain, present only in M and L proteins, is further N-glycosylated at Asn-4 exclusively in the M protein. Since the pre-S2 N-glycan appears to play a crucial role in the secretion of viral particles, the M protein may be considered as a potential target for antiviral therapy. For characterization of the pre-S2 glycosylation, pre-S2 (glyco)peptides were released from native, patient-derived hepatitis B virus subviral particles by tryptic digestion, separated from remaining particles, purified by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and identified by amino acid and N-terminal sequence analysis as well as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Pre-S2 N-glycans were characterized by anion exchange chromatography, methylation analysis, and on target sequential exoglycosidase digestions in combination with MALDI-TOF-MS, demonstrating the presence of partially sialylated diantennary complex-type oligosaccharides. In addition, the pre-S2 domain of M protein, but not that of L protein, was found to be partially O-glycosylated by a Gal(beta1-3)GalNAcalpha-, Neu5Ac(alpha2-3)Gal(beta1-3)GalNAcalpha-, or GalNAcalpha-residue. The respective O-glycosylation site was assigned to Thr-37 by digestion with carboxypeptidases in combination with MALDI-TOF-MS and by quadrupole time-of-flight electrospray mass spectrometry. Analytical data further revealed that about 90% of M protein is N-terminally acetylated.

Isolation and structural characterization of glycosphingolipids of in vitro propagated human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

To investigate in detail the expression of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) on endothelial cells, 4.85 x 10(9) human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultivated in a 2 l bioreactor using microcarriers as a support for anchorage dependent growing cells. Neutral GSLs and gangliosides were isolated and their structures were determined by TLC immunostaining, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) of the native GSLs, and gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry (GC-EIMS) of partially methylated alditol acetates. GbOse4Cer, GbOse3Cer, and LacCer, all carrying mainly C24- and C16-fatty acid beside C18-sphingosine, were detected as the major neutral GSLs (36%, 23%, and 15% of the total orcinol stain, respectively); GlcCer, nLcOse4Cer, and nLcOse6Cer were expressed to substantial minor amounts (9%, 12%, and 5% of the total orcinol stain, respectively). TLC immunostaining revealed the presence of lipid bound Lewisx antigen, whereas the isomeric Lewisa structure was detectable only in very low quantities. GM3(Neu5Ac) with C18-sphingosine was the major ganglioside constituting about 90% of the whole ganglioside fraction. The fatty acid composition was determined by GC-MS of fatty acid methyl esters, indicating the predominance of C24- and C16-substituted GM3(Neu5Ac), followed by C18- and C22-substituted species. Terminally alpha2-3 sialylated neolacto-series ganglioside IV3Neu5Ac-nLcOse4Cer was the second most abundant ganglioside in HUVECs (8% of the total resorcinol stain), and IV6Neu5Ac-nLcOse4Cer and VI3Neu5Ac-nLcOse6Cer (together less than 2% of total resorcinol stain) were found in minor quantities. Lipid bound sialyl Lewisx antigen with poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl chains, and traces of gangliotetraose-type gangliosides GM1 and GD1a were identified by TLC immunostaining. The expression of dominant neutral GSLs LacCer, GbOse3Cer, and GbOse4Cer, and of ganglioside GM3(Neu5Ac) was assayed by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy of cell layers grown in chamber slides, each showing different plasma membrane and subcellular distribution patterns. The complete structural characterization of GSLs from HUVECs contributes to our understanding about their functional role, not only of the carbohydrate but also of the lipid moiety, as receptors for bacterial toxins, as cell surface antigens of cellular interaction and as receptors for blood components and macromolecules of the extracellular matrix.