A novel plasmal conjugate to glycerol and psychosine ("glyceroplasmalopsychosine") - Isolation and characterization from bovine brain white matter

A novel plasmal conjugate of glycosphingolipid having cationic lipid proper ties was isolated from the white matter of bovine brain. Linkage analysis o f galactosyl residue by methylation, liquid secondary ion, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of intact and methylated derivatives, and by H-1- and C-13-NMR spectroscopy, identified the structure unambiguously as a n O-acetal conjugate of plasmal to the primary hydroxyl group of glycerol a nd to the 6-hydroxyl group of galactosyl residue of beta -galactosyl 1 -->1 sphingosine (psycho sine). This novel compound is hereby termed "glyceropl asmalopsychosine"; its structure is shown below.