Ganglioside oligosaccharides

Elicityl offers a range of ganglioside oligosaccharides that are complex glycosphingolipids composed of a ceramide linked by an ether bond to an oligosaccharide bearing at least one sialic acid. They are concentrated on the cell surface, and are especially found in the nervous system where they can represent up to 6% of brain’s lipid weight. Gangliosides play an important role in cell growth, cell to cell communication, and cellular adhesion (1). They are also involved in several illnesses like Guillain-Barré syndrome and cancer (2). In the latter, they play a role in the proliferation and migration of tumorous cells. Eventually, they act as a receptor for several viruses and bacterial toxins, such as influenza, cholera and tetanus.

Ganglioside sugars Nomenclature:

- G stands for Ganglioside

- M, D, T & Q stands for mono, di, tri, quadri number of sialic acids

- 1, 2 3 as the order of distance migration in thin layer chromatography

References:

(1)  Hakomori, S. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 2008, 325-346.

(2) https://web.archive.org/web/20091217095434/http://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/Lipids/gang/index.htm