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Journal of Lipid Research, Vol. 7, 122-131, January 1966
Copyright © 1966 by Lipid Research, Inc.

Changes in sphingosine and fatty acid components of the gangliosides in developing rat and human brain

Abraham Rosenberg and Nora Stern

Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia University Research Service, Goldwater Memorial Hospital, Welfare Island, New York, N. Y.

Rat brain increases in weight after birth in three stages: (I) rapidly for the first 2 weeks, (II) at a lower rate from 2 to 5 weeks, and (III) at a still lower rate from 5 weeks to 5 months. During the succeeding period, designated IV, it maintains constant weight up to 1 year of age. Brain ganglioside content increased linearly during I and II, more slowly during III, and diminished during IV. The appearance of measurable amounts of brain sphingomyelin and cerebroside succeeded that of ganglioside.

Ceramide with C₁₈-sphingosine and C₁₈ fatty acid was found in a large proportion of all three sphingolipids upon their first appearance in measurable quantity. C₁₈ fatty acid in cerebroside rapidly declined to a negligible level, while in gangliosides and sphingomyelin it declined slowly but remained the major fatty acid component.

Cerebrosides and sphingomyelin contained C₁₈-sphingosine almost exclusively at all stages of rat brain growth. Gangliosides contained C₁₈-sphingosine almost exclusively at birth, but subsequently accumulated C₂₀-sphingosine until they had nearly equal quantities of each base type.

Changes in human brain gangliosides resemble those in rat. In Tay-Sachs disease, gangliosides have C₁₈-sphingosine predominantly, and a high content of C₁₈ fatty acid.

Supplementary key words brain • age • gangliosides • cerebrosides • sphingomyelin • content • fatty acids • C₂₀-sphingosine • rat • human • Tay-Sachs disease • methanolysis

Submitted on July 13, 1965
Accepted on September 13, 1965

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