Binding specificities of the lectins PNA, WGA and UEA I to polyvinylchloride-adsorbed glycosphingolipids

The binding specificities of the lectins PNA (peanut agglutinin), WGA (wheat germ agglutinin), and UEA I (Ulex europeus agglutinin I) against glycosphingolipids were investigated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), utilizing the biotin-avidin system for detection of bound lectin. PNA showed the highest affinity to GA1, but also bound, though less strongly, to GM1 and GD1b. WGA bound to 3'-nLM1 and 6'-nLM1, the former twice as strongly as the latter, but not to any sialic acid containing glycolipid of the gangliotetraose series. UEA I showed a high affinity for the Lea glycolipid which has an alpha 1-4 linked fucose but not for the glycolipids with alpha 1-3 or alpha 1-2 linked fucose. Interestingly, 3'-nLM1 and nLA1, glycolipids lacking fucose, also bound UEA I. The results show that lectins should be used with caution for establishing terminal sugar sequences in glycosphingolipids.

Potential ganglioside antigens associated with human gliomas

Gangliosides in human gliomas were investigated and found to have an altered composition and concentration as compared to normal grey and white matter of brain. The major gangliosides GM1, GD1a, and GT1b were markedly reduced in the tumour tissue and in contrast there was an increase of gangliosides GM3 and GD3, which often appeared as the dominating ones. Moreover, the tumours contained gangliosides, both mono- and oligosialylated, which could not be detected in the normal brain. The concentration of gangliosides, 0.7 +/- 0.4 mumol sialic acid/g, was significantly lower as compared to normal brain grey (p less than 0.001) and white matter (p less than 0.01), which contained 3.5 +/- 0.3 and 1.2 +/- 0.3 mumol sialic acid/g respectively. The tumour tissue concentration of phospholipids was 14 +/- 8 and of cholesterol 19 +/- 12 mumol/g. The appearance in glioma tissue of gangliosides that are not found in normal brain tissue suggests that these are tumour associated and might serve as surface antigens detectable by specific monoclonal antibodies.

Characterization of new gangliosides of the lactotetraose series in murine xenografts of a human glioma cell line

The major mono- and disialogangliosides of the extensively characterized established human glioma line D54MG were isolated and purified from subcutaneous solid xenografts grown in athymic (nu/nu) mice. Structural determination showed that they belonged to the lactotetraosylceramide series. The sialyllactotetraosylceramide contained 90% N-glycolyl- and 10% N-acetylneuraminic acid linked in an alpha 2-3 linkage (IV3NeuGc-LcOse4Cer, IV3NeuAc-LcOse4Cer). The disialogangliosides had a previously undescribed type of structure with sialic acids linked to the terminal galactose in an alpha 2-3 linkage and to N-acetylglucosamine in an alpha 2-6 linkage. Not only did species with NeuAc or NeuGc occur, but also species with mixtures of the two sialic acids, e.g. NeuAc and NeuGc. The schematic structures of the new disialogangliosides are (Formula:see text).

Binding specificity of monoclonal antibodies to ganglioside, Fuc-GM1

The binding specificity of thirteen mouse monoclonal antibodies reacting with Fuc-GM1, Fuc alpha 1-2Gal beta 1-3GalNAc beta 1-4(NeuAc alpha 2-3)-Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer, a ganglioside found to be associated with small cell lung carcinoma (O. Nilsson et al. (1984) Glycoconjugate J. 1, 43-49) was studied. The results are based upon radioimmunodetection of their binding to structurally related glycolipids adsorbed to microtiter plates or chromatographed on thin-layer plates. Four of thirteen antibodies reacted only with Fuc-GM1 and both the fucose and the sialic residues were necessary for binding. Optimal binding was obtained when the sialic acid was N-acetylneuraminic acid. When this sialic acid residue was substituted with N-glycoloylneuraminic acid the binding activity was reduced and up to 10-times more Fuc-GM1 was needed for detection. The ceramide composition did not influence the binding. The other nine monoclonal antibodies cross-reacted with glycolipids containing structures closely related to Fuc-GM1 and differed from the specific ones by recognizing a smaller portion of the carbohydrate moiety in Fuc-GM1. These results indicate that anticarbohydrate monoclonal antibodies, recognizing structures involving a large proportion of the sugar in the glycolipid, possess a high specificity and might be useful for detection of tumor-associated ganglioside antigen.

A monoclonal antibody reacting specifically with ganglioside GD1b in human brain

A mouse monoclonal antibody directed against one of the major human brain gangliosides, GD1b, has been produced. The antibody binds specifically to the carbohydrate structure of GD1b as it does not react with structurally related gangliosides like GM1, GD2, GT1b or Fuc-GM1, or any other ganglioside of human brain. The results further indicate that terminal galactose as well as the disialosyl group linked to the inner galactose moiety are involved in binding to the antibody.

Gangliosides in serum immune complexes from tumor-bearing patients

Immune complexes in the serum of tumor-bearing patients were adsorbed from whole blood or plasma on a protein A-Sepharose column. The adsorbed material was eluted, precipitated and analyzed for gangliosides. All precipitates obtained from eight patients at different treatment occasions contained gangliosides at concentrations varying from 0.1 to 12.2 nmol sialic acid/mg protein. The compositions of gangliosides were similar among the patients, regardless of the type of cancer, and quite different from that of normal serum. Most (75-85% of total sialic acid) belonged to the gangliotetraose series, of which 26-33% was GM1, 26-34% GD1a, 8-17% GD1b, and 5-13% GT1b. However, the dominant ganglioside in normal serum, GM3, was present in only trace amounts, which ruled out a nonspecific adsorption of serum ganglioside by protein A-Sepharose. Similar results were obtained for whole blood and plasma treatments, and these results suggest a specific interaction between gangliosides of the gangliotetraose series and serum immunoglobulins, either by the gangliosides acting as antigens and forming immune complexes or by their binding to already formed complexes.

Comparison of receptors for cholera and Escherichia coli enterotoxins in human intestine

Extraction of lipids from human small intestinal epithelial cells or brush borders removed specific binding sites for cholera toxin completely, but only about 50% of the receptor sites for Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin. Both cholera toxin and E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin bound strongly to ganglioside GM1 in the lipid extract and, to a lesser extent, to another monosialoganglioside and to GD1b. The results suggest that E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin binds to both ganglioside and glycoprotein receptor sites of the human small intestinal epithelium, whereas cholera toxin binding was restricted to the ganglioside receptors.

Monoclonal antibody 18B8 detects gangliosides associated with neuronal differentiation and synapse formation

Mouse monoclonal antibody 18B8 detects developmentally regulated antigens in chicken retina and brain. The antigens detected by immunofluorescence appear initially on cell bodies in retinas of 6-13 day embryos. In older embryos during synapse formation and in adults, the antigen is localized in discrete laminae within the inner synaptic layer of retina and also is present in the outer synaptic layer and the outer segments of photoreceptor cells. The antigens from retina and brain were purified partially and were shown to be gangliosides of unknown structure that contain at least two sialic acid residues. Gangliosides that are recognized by antibody 18B8 change both qualitatively and quantitatively during neuronal development. These changes were correlated with the spatial and temporal changes in antigen expression detected histochemically.

Chemical structure of carcinoma ganglioside antigens defined by monoclonal antibody C-50 and some allied gangliosides of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma

A hybridoma, C-50, obtained by fusion of mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells from a mouse immunized with cells from the colorectal carcinoma cell line COLO 205, produced antibodies that detected ganglioside antigen in human adenocarcinomas in many organs. The major ganglioside antigen fraction isolated from liver metastases of a pancreatic adenocarcinoma, behaving as a homogenous band on thin-layer chromatography, consisted of three different gangliosides. One of them, A (25%), had the same carbohydrate structure as the ganglioside antigen defined by monoclonal antibody 19-9, NeuAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-3(Fuc alpha 1-4)GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc-Cer(Fuc-3'-isoLM1) Magnani, J.L., Nilsson, B., Brockhaus, M., Zopf, D., Steplewski, Z., Koprowski, H. and Ginsburg, V. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 14365-14369). The major ganglioside, B (60%), was the isomeric hexasaccharide ganglioside (NeuAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4(Fuc alpha 1-3)GlcNAc beta 1-3-Gal beta 1-4Glc-Cer(Fuc-3'-LM1) and the third ganglioside, C, was 6'-LM1, NeuAc alpha 2-6Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc-Cer (15%). Ganglioside B, isolated from human kidney, did not react with the C-50 MAb. Based on this result and on studies of COLO 205 cell induced tumours where the ganglioside antigen fraction only consisted of A, it is suggested that the C-50 MAb defines an antigen determinant present in A.

Monoclonal antibody A2B5 reacts with many gangliosides in neuronal tissue

Monoclonal antibody A2B5, clone 105, obtained from a mouse immunized with 8-day chicken embryo retinas, reacts with most neuronal cells in chicken retina as revealed by immunofluorescence studies [G.S. Eisenbarth, F.S. Walsh, and M. Nirenberg (1979), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75: 4913-4917]. The antibody binds to many antigens, presumably gangliosides, present in ganglioside fractions from chicken brain, chicken retina, and human brain, as detected by autoradiography of thin-layer chromatograms. Most of the antigens, which are found in the mono-, di-, tri-, and polysialoganglioside fractions, do not correspond in chromatographic mobility to any of the major gangliosides of these tissues, as revealed by orcinol reagent. Apart from the fact that only one neuraminidase-labile sialyl residue is required for binding, the carbohydrate sequence recognized by the antibody is not known. There is a qualitative and quantitative change in the ganglioside antigens in chicken brain and retina during development. The less sialylated antigens appear first, followed by the more sialylated ones. The adult tissues contain little ganglioside antigen.

Receptor ganglioside content of three hosts for Sendai virus. MDBK, HeLa, and MDCK cells

Specific gangliosides GD1a, GT1b and GQ1b isolated from brain have been shown to function as receptors for Sendai virus by conferring susceptibility to infection when they are incorporated into receptor-deficient cells (Markwell, M.A.K., Svennerholm, L. and Paulson, J.C. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78, 5406-5410). The endogenous gangliosides of three commonly used hosts for Sendai virus: MDBK, HeLa, and MDCK cells were analyzed to determine the amount and type of receptor gangliosides present. In all three cell lines, GM3 was the major ganglioside component. The presence of GM1, GD1a and the more complex homologs of the gangliotetraose series was also established. In cell lines derived from normal tissue, MDBK and MDCK cells, gangliosides contributed 47-65% of the total sialic acid. In HeLa cells, gangliosides contributed substantially less (17% of the total sialic acid). The ganglioside content of each cell line was shown not to be immutable but instead to depend on the state of differentiation, passage number, and surface the cells were grown on. Thus, the ganglioside concentration of undifferentiated MDCK cells was found to be substantially greater than that of MDBK or HeLa cells, but decreased as the MDCK cells underwent differentiation. Changes in culture conditions that were shown to decrease the receptor ganglioside content of the cells resulted in a corresponding decrease in susceptibility to infection. The endogenous oligosialogangliosides present in susceptible host cells were shown to function as receptors for Sendai virus.

A monoclonal antibody that precipitates the glycoprotein receptor for epidermal growth factor is directed against the human blood group H type 1 antigen

Monoclonal antibody 101 produced by a hybridoma obtained by fusion with NS-1 myeloma cells of spleen cells from a mouse immunized with the human epidermoid carcinoma cell line, A431, specifically precipitates epidermal growth factor receptor, a glycoprotein of 170,000 Mr solubilized from A431 cell membranes (Richert, N. D., Willingham, M. C., and Pastan, I. H. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 8902-8907). The antibody also binds to neutral glycolipids extracted from A431 cells as evidenced by solid phase radioimmunoassay and by autoradiography. Binding of antibody to its target is inhibited by lacto-N-fucopentaose I but not by 2'-fucosyllactose or related oligosaccharides. Thus, antibody 101 is probably directed against the human blood group H type 1 sugar sequence Fuc alpha 1-2Gal beta 1-3GlcNAc . . .. This sequence presumably occurs on the epidermal growth factor receptor. Monoclonal antibody 102 produced by another hybridoma from the same fusion has the same cell specificity as antibody 101 and also binds to neutral glycolipids. However, binding of antibody 102 to its target is inhibited by 2'-fucosyllactose and not by lacto-N-fucopentaose I or related oligosaccharides. Thus, antibody 102 is probably directed against the human blood group H type 2 sugar sequence Fuc alpha 1-2Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc . . .. Antibody 102 does not precipitate solubilized epidermal growth factor receptor. Both antibodies bind to neutral glycolipids extracted from human erythrocytes belonging to blood group O but not to neutral glycolipids extracted from human erythrocytes with the "Bombay" phenotype.

Colorectal carcinomas have a characteristic ganglioside pattern

The gangliosides in six colorectal and two pancreatic carcinomas were examined. Their concentration in the primary tumour and the metastases was 5-10 fold higher than in normal colon mucosa. This increase involved the simple gangliosides, GM3 and GD3, as well as complex mono- and disialogangliosides. Some complex monosialogangliosides were detected in all the colorectal and pancreatic carcinomas but neither in normal colon mucosa and pancreas nor in kidney and lung carcinomas.

Monoclonal antibodies against gastrointestinal tumour-associated antigens isolated as monosialogangliosides

Monoclonal antibodies were produced after immunization of mice with a colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line or liver metastasis membranes from a patient with colon adenocarcinoma. Many monoclonal antibodies were found to react with colorectal adenocarcinoma cells but not with normal colon mucosa, blood lymphocytes, myeloma cells or lung epithelial carcinoma cells. Three of these 'colorectal tumour-specific' antibodies appear to define different antigens that were found in the complex monosialoganglioside fraction from 60 to 90% of the colorectal and pancreatic adenocarcinoma tumours or metastases examined but essentially lacking in normal colon mucosa and other normal or tumour tissues tested.

Rabbit intestinal glycoprotein receptor for Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin lacking affinity for cholera toxin

The receptors for cholera toxin and Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin (LT) in rabbit small intestinal epithelium were characterized and compared. (i) In vivo studies in ligated intestinal loops showed that whereas LT B subunits could block the fluid secretogenic action of purified LT as well as cholera toxin, cholera toxin B subunits did not inhibit the LT response even when tested in a concentration 100-fold higher than one which gave complete blocking of cholera toxin action. (ii) In vitro studies indicated that isolated intestinal epithelial cells or brush-border membranes could bind about 10-fold more of E. coli LT than of cholera toxin. (iii) All binding sites for cholera toxin in duodenal, jejunal, or ileal mucosal cells or brush-border membranes were extracted by chloroform-methanol-water (4:8:3), which removed lipids quantitatively but did not extract glycoproteins. The extracted cholera toxin binding sites were to greater than 95% recovered in a monosialoganglioside fraction; quantitatively these sites closely corresponded to the concentration of chromatographically identified mucosal GM1 ganglioside (1 nmol of cholera toxin was bound per 1 to 2 nmol of GM1). In contrast, a substantial fraction of mucosal binding sites for E. coli LT remained in the delipidized tissue residue, and these sites had properties consistent with a glycoprotein nature. Thus, whereas cholera toxin appeared to bind highly selectively to GM1 ganglioside receptor sites of rabbit small intestine, E. coli LT bound both to GM1 ganglioside and to a main glycoprotein receptor for which cholera toxin lacks affinity.

Lipid accumulation in liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys of miniature-pigs after chloroquine treatment

Chronic chloroquine treatment of type-Göttingen miniature-pigs induced lipid accumulation in the liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys. The lipid analyses showed marked quantitative and qualitative differences between the organs. In the liver the lipids affected most were cholesteryl esters and glucosylceramides, which were increased at the most 20 times. Cholesterol and ganglioside concentrations were also increased, though less markedly. The concentration of acidic phospholipids was slightly increased but that of the neutral phospholipids was unaffected. There was a considerable inter-individual variation in the lipid changes. Spleen and lung showed significant increases of all the major lipids. Glucosylceramide was increased more than the other lipids, namely 6-fold in the spleen and 10-fold in the lung. The concentration of acidic phospholipids as well as that of gangliosides was increased by 50% in the spleen and by 100% in the lung. The organ affected least was the kidney, in which only the glycolipids, both acidic and neutral, were significantly increased. Common to all the organs of the chloroquine-treated pigs was the large increase of glucosylceramide, ganglioside CM2 and bis(monoacylglyceryl)phosphate. The ganglioside increase affected all the individual gangliosides and, except for the increased proportion of ganglioside GM2, there were not remarkable changes in the ganglioside pattern in any of the organs.

Chloroquine intoxication induces ganglioside storage in nervous tissue: a chemical and histopathological study of brain, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, and retinal in the miniature pig

The effect of chronic chloroquine intoxication on lipid composition, particularly the gangliosides, was studied in the nervous system of miniature pigs, type Göttingen. The tissues examined were cerebrum, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia and retina. Chloroquine was given in the diet in doses of 2.0-3.5 g/kg good. The intoxication of the pigs was started at the age of 100-240 days and continued for 177-219 days. The control pigs received the same diet without chloroquine. The ganglioside concentration was increased in all the tissues examined. Dorsal root ganglia and retinal were the tissues affected most and showed a twofold increase. This corresponded to the light and electron microscopically demonstrated extensive storage process in the perikarya of dorsal root ganglion cells and inner ganglion cells of the retinal. Under light microscopy the storage material was granular, intensely PAS-positive and dissolved by paraffin embedding. The electron microscopical equivalent consisted of conglomerates of membranous lysosomal residual bodies. In cerebrum the ganglioside concentration was increased by 12%. Storage in the brain varied widely between different systems and types of cells. The allocortex was much more affected than the isocortex. Certain inhibitory ganglion cell types, such as the basket cells, exhibited the most massive storage of all. The spinal medulla was morphologically less involved but showed approximately the same ganglioside increase, though not statistically significant. With the exception of cerebrum the increase in the tissues examined involved all the individual gangliosides, most severely ganglioside GM2 and three fucogangliosides. In cerebrum only the ganglioside GM2 was increased more than the other gangliosides. Chloroquine intoxication did not affect the concentration of phospholipids or cholesterol in the cerebrum, spinal cord or dorsal root ganglia, but in retina the acidic phospholipids were significantly increased.

Chemical structures of three fucogangliosides isolated from nervous tissue of mini-pig

In the nervous tissue of miniature pig, type Göttingen, three fucosyl-containing gangliosides are major gangliosides. All three were found in dorsal-root ganglia and spinal cord, but only two of them in the forebrain. The concentrations of these gangliosides were increased in chloroquine intoxication. Their chemical structures were determined by component analysis, partial acid and enzymatic degradation and assay of the partially methylated sugars after hydrolysis, reduction and acetylation. Mass spectrometric analysis of the intact gangliosides as permethylated, permethylated-reduced and permethylated-reduced-silylated derivatives confirmed the following structures of the three gangliosides. (See Formula in text).

Chloroquine-induced accumulation of gangliosides and phospholipids in skeletal muscles. Quantitative determination and characterization of stored lipids

High doses of the lysosomotropic drug chloroquine result in lipid storage in many organs in animals. We used miniature pigs, type Göttingen, to study the lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle after chloroquine intoxication for more than 200 days. The lipids of the quadriceps muscle in intoxicated and in age-matched control pigs were characterized and determined. The lipid storage was larger in skeletal muscle than in any other organ of the intoxicated pigs. The concentration of phospholipids was increased threefold, acidic phospholipids relatively more than neutral ones. The lysosome-specific acidic phospholipid bis(monoacylglyceryl)phosphate content was almost 50-fold larger in the intoxicated pigs than in the controls. Cholesterol was increased slightly more than the phospholipids, but there was no particular accumulation of cholesteryl esters, which has been shown to occur in the liver. For the first time a storage of gangliosides, relatively more pronounced than of other lipids, was demonstrated in skeletal muscle in the drug-induced lipidosis. The concentration of total gangliosides was increased 10--15-fold, and the pattern of gangliosides showed some distinct changes resulting in at least a 100-fold increase in the concentration of ganglioside GM2 (II3NeuAc-GgOse4Cer).

Binding of intraluminal toxin in cholera: trial of GM1 ganglioside charcoal

A study was undertaken to investigate whether toxin produced in the gut lumen contributes significantly to clinical illness and whether binding such toxin by GM1 ganglioside adsorbed onto charcoal could alter the clinical course of disease. 46 patients with severe cholera receiving standard intravenous therapy were randomly assigned to one of three groups: GM1 ganglioside-charcoal (16), charcoal alone (16), or water (14). The results demonstrated that patients were given sufficient GM1 ganglioside-charcoal to bind all luminal toxin produced by Vibrio cholerae in their intestines. Patients treated with GM1 ganglioside tended to have a greater reduction in purging than patients treated with either charcoal alone or water. This difference was statistically significant soon after beginning medication (8-15 h) and the reduction in fluid-loss was especially pronounced in patients with very severe initial purging who had been ill only for a short time before admission. These results suggest that toxin produced in the gut lumen increases fluid-loss early in cholera, but that later in the course of disease, toxin which is inaccessible to luminal binding agents in the major stimulus of purging.