Application Notes:
This galactosylceramide analogue contains a biotin unit attached to the amine of the sphingosine moiety via a
hexanoic acid linker and is ideal for use in sphingolipid studies. The biotin structure allows for attachment of the
galactosylceramide to streptavidin and avidin making it extremely useful for binding to substrates and for toxin detection1.
Galactocerebrosides are found primarily in neuronal tissues and are the major glycosphingolipids in the central
nervous system. They are the largest single component of the myelin sheath of nerves and seem to act, along with other
molecules, to form part of the structural support of the myelin sheath.2 Cerebrosides are involved in a very wide range of
biological activities such as cell agglutination, intracellular communication, cellular development, and antitumor/cytotoxic
effects.3 Galactocerebroside can be metabolized into sulfatide which is also abundant in the nervous system and myelin
sheath. Due to the relatively high melting point of cerebrosides (much greater than physiological body temperature) they
have a para-crystalline structure. Krabbe’s disease (globoid cell leukodystrophy) is characterized by a deficiency in the
enzyme galactocerebrosidase, which is responsible for degrading galactocerebroside. This leads to an accumulation of
cerebroside and psychosine (which is very cytotoxic and can result in demyelination of nerves and loss of axonal
conductivity). This standard from Matreya is excellent for use in the identification and isolation of cerebrosides in the study
of Krabbe’s disease and other studies.4
References:
1. A. Mukhopadhyay et al. “Direct interaction between the inhibitor 2 and ceramide via sphingolipid-protein binding is involved in the regulation of protein
phosphatase 2A activity and signaling” FASEB, Vol. 23(3) pp. 751-763, 2009
2. M. Sheldon, D.Lyudmila, “Cycloserine-induced decrease of cerebroside in myelin” Lipids, Vol. 33:4 pp. 441-443, 1998
3. X. Zhou, L. Tang and Y. Liu “An Isomeric Mixture of Novel Cerebrosides Isolated from Impatiens pritzellii Reduces Lipopolysaccharide-Induced
Release of IL-18 from Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells” Lipids, Vol. 44:8 pp. 759-763, 2009
4. X. Han and H. Cheng “Characterization and direct quantitation of cerebroside molecular species from lipid extracts by shotgun lipidomics” Journal of
Lipid Research, Vol. 46 pp. 163-175, 2005