Tetanus toxin is bound by a sialidase-labile disialosyl ganglioside, serotonin by another, and cholera toxin by a sialidase-stable monosialosyl ganglioside. There is good evidence that the monosialosyl ganglioside may be the receptor for cholera toxin in cell membranes; what of the disialosyl ganglioside and tetanus toxin?

Gangliosides as membrane receptors for tetanus toxin, cholera toxin and serotonin

Deactivation of cholera toxin by a sialidase-resistant monosialosylganglioside.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the structure, biological source, and properties of glycosphingolipids. Several reasons can be cited for the explosive increase in the number of newly characterized glycosphingolipids. Technical developments (TLC immunostaining and solid-phase microtiter plate binding assays) have provided a means of demonstrating that monoclonal antibodies are immunoreactive with carbohydrate sequences carded by glycosphingolipids. This has led to a greater interest in evaluating the glycosphingolipid composition of a variety of biological tissues and tumors. Improvements in chromatographic procedures, especially high-performance liquid chromatography, have simplified isolation and separation methods. Use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has improved structural characterization of glycosphingolipids. Development and application of FAB mass spectrometry for glycosphingolipid characterization have been especially important for the characterization of high molecular weight compounds. Isolation of endoglycosidase and new exoglycosidases has provided additional tools for characterization.

R.H. McCluer

Papers

Chemistry of gangliosides.