Oxidation and base-catalyzed elimination of the saccharide portion of GSLshaving very different polarities

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs), present in cell membranes, participate in a vari ety of biological functions. Although their exact role(s) may not be unders tood, it has been shown that 1) embryos lacking glucosylceramide synthase a ctivity do not develop normally, 2) GSLs can affect neuritogenesis, and 3) they can, function as receptors for some pathogens. To study the role of th e saccharide portion of a GSL in any of these functions, it is necessary to either isolate it from the intact GSL or synthesize it, Because syntheses are more complex, modifications were made to the oxidation/elimination proc edure previously described for the isolation of the saccharide portion of G M1 and GD1a to enable it to be used with GSLs of varying polarity. The key is to use a mixture of GSLs that differ in polarity, This appears to elimin ate problems encountered when purified GSLs such as sulfatide or GT1b are u sed.