We investigated whether the L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope, expressed by two unusual glycolipids and several neural adhesion molecules, including L1, neural cell adhesion molecule, J1, and the myelin-associated glycoprotein, is involved in adhesion. Monoclonal L2 antibodies, the L2/HNK-1-reactive, sulfate-3-glucuronyl residue carrying glycolipids (L2 glycolipid) and a tetrasaccharide derived fro...

The large array of different glycolipids described in mammalian tissues is a reflection, in part, of diverse glycosyltransferase expression. Herein, we describe the cloning of a UDP-galactose: beta-d-galactosyl-1,4-glucosylceramide alpha-1, 3-galactosyltransferase (iGb(3) synthase) from a rat placental cDNA expression library. iGb(3) synthase acts on lactosylceramide, LacCer (Galbeta1,4Glcbeta1...

Selectins on activated vascular endothelium mediate inflammation by binding to complementary carbohydrates on circulating neutrophils. The human neutrophil receptor for E-selectin has not been established. We report here that sialylated glycosphingolipids with 5 N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc, Galbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-3) repeats and 2 to 3 fucose residues are major functional E-selectin receptors on ...

The humoral response to different proteinaceous antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is heterogeneous among patients with active disease, and this has originated in the proposal to use a combination of several specific antigens to find an efficient serodiagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB). However, to date, comparisons of antibody responses to several antigens in the same population have bee...

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is the causing agent of Lyme disease, an infectious disease frequently occurring in the United States, Europe, and Northern Asia. Currently, diagnosis of and vaccination strategies against this pathogen are exclusively based on proteinaceous structures. Here we report on a novel class of immunogenic glycolipids purified from B. burgdorferi sensu stricto B31. Empl...

We recently reported that glycolipid compositions of gadoid fish nerve tissues are unique in the abundance of 1) galactosyl diacylglycerol and its sulfate ester; 2) glucosyl ceramide; and 3) fatty acid ester of cerebroside (J. Lipid Res. 1992. 33: 1351-1359). The present paper reports the characterization of less polar glycolipids isolated from Alaskan pollack brain. Of twelve glycolipids purif...

Two major glycolipids, which comprise approximately 36% of the total lipid mass from Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, were investigated. We determined the fatty acid type, sugar identity, anomeric configuration, and substituent type and position. The structures were identified as cholesteryl 6-O-acyl-beta-d-galactopyranoside (B. burgdorferi glycolipid 1, BbGL-I), and...

Donryu strain rats through two generations were fed semi-purified diets supplemented with safflower seed oil (rich in linoleic acid) or with perilla seed oil (rich in alpha-linolenic acid), or a conventional laboratory chow (normal control diet). Brightness-discrimination learning ability was determined to be the highest in the perilla oil-fed group, followed by the normal group, and then by th...

The neutral and acidic glycolipids from the liver of an 11-year-old male were quantitatively isolated and characterized. The total concentration of gangliosides was also determined in sampled from five other human livers. Lipid-bound sialic acid varied between 190-248 nmol/g with a mean value of 212 nmol/g. The major ganglioside was GM3, which represented 91.6% of the sialic acid. Besides GM3 a...

NKT cells are innate-like T cells with powerful regulatory functions that are a promising target for immunotherapy. The efficacy of glycolipids, such as the prototypic NKT cell antagonist α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), is currently being evaluated in clinical trials, but little is known about factors that target lipid antigens for CD1d presentation and NKT cell activation in vivo. Lipid uptake...