AGE-RELATED-CHANGES IN GANGLIOSIDE COMPOSITION IN HUMAN LENS

We previously reported that human lens accumulates gangliosides in ass ociation with aging and senile cataract progression. Structural analys is revealed that gangliosides in human cataractous lenses were compose d of ganglio-series gangliosides, such as GM3, GM2, GM1 and GD1a, and sialyl-Lewis(x)-containing neolacto-series gangliosides. Although Lewi s(x)-containing neolacto-series glycolipid was found to accumulate in association with aging and cataract progression, the sialyl-Lewis(x) g angliosides did not show much accumulation in individual lenses from s ubjects between 16 and 80 years old. The content of sialyl-Lewis(x) ga ngliosides was about two to four times higher than that of Lewis(x) gl ycolipids, suggesting the possibility that the increase in Le(x) glyco lipid is partly due to the desialylation of sialyl-Le(x) gangliosides. On the other hand, the expression of ganglio-series gangliosides incr eased in an age-related manner. Thus, age-related changes in lens glyc olipids may modify the cell-to-cell interaction induced by cell surfac e sugar chains, leading to the initiation and progression of cataract.