FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF GANGLIOSIDE GM3 OF RENAL GLOMERULAR EPITHELIAL SGE1 CELLS DURING SPONTANEOUS DOME FORMATION IN-VITRO

Ganglioside GM3, one of acidic components of membrane glycosphingolipi ds (GSL), has been known to change its content quantitatively during g rowth and differentiation of various cells in vitro. Detailed analysis of lipid portion of GM3 of rat renal glomerular SGE1 cells revealed t hat fatty acids with long carbon chains, especially that of C24:0 and C24:1 increased, while that of short C18:0 and C20:0 decreased after s pontaneous dome formation. Since not only fatty acid composition of ne utral GSL, sulfatide and phospholipid but also composition of long-cha in bases (LCB) did not change, it was suggested that only C24 fatty ac id of GM3 specifically increased in relation to dome formation. The sp ontaneous dome formation has been reported to be related with inductio n of cellular differentiation in many transporting epithelial cells. W e thus assume that the change of fatty acid composition of GM3 is invo lved in cellular differentiation of SGE1 cells.