Liver gangliosides of various animals ranging from fish to mammalian species

Liver gangliosides of different animal species were analyzed. Bony fish liv er contained a major ganglioside that migrated faster than GM3 on thin-laye r chromatography (TLC). This ganglioside was identified to be GM4 (NeuAc) b y methods including product analysis after sialidase treatment and negative -ion electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS). The presence of GM4 (NeuGc) in fish liver was also demonstrated. The main ganglioside band of bovine liver consisted of two different molecular species, i.e. GD1a (Ne uAc/NeuAc) and GD1a (NeuAc/NeuGc). Major gangliosides of liver tissue exhib ited a distinct phylogenetic profile; GM4 was expressed mainly in lower ani mals such as bony fish and frog liver, whereas mammalian liver showed gangl ioside patterns with smaller proportions of monosialo ganglioside species. While c-series gangliosides were consistently expressed in lower animals, t hey were found only in mammalian liver of particular species. No apparent t rend was observed between the concentration of liver gangliosides and the p hylogenetic stage of animals. The present study demonstrates the species-sp ecific expression of liver gangliosides. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.