Application Notes:
As this product is derived from a natural source, there may be variations in the sphingoid backbone.
This ganglioside GM1 analogue contains a biotin unit attached to the amine of the sphingosine moiety via a hexanoic
acid linker and is ideal for use in ganglioside studies. The biotin structure allows for attachment of the ganglioside to
streptavidin and avidin substrates making it extremely useful for binding to substrates and for toxin detection.1
Gangliosides are acidic glycosphingolipids containing one or more sialic acids that generally form lipid rafts in the
outer leaflet of the cell plasma membrane, especially in neuronal cells in the central nervous system.2,3 They participate in
many cellular activities including proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, signal transduction, cell-to-cell interactions,
tumorigenesis, and metastasis.4 The accumulation of gangliosides has been linked to several diseases including Tay-Sachs
and Sandhoff disease while an autoimmune response against gangliosides can lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome. Gangliosides
act as receptors for various toxins and bacteria, accumulate in various tumors, and aid in many neuronal functions. They are
therefore very important in therapeutic processes and have warranted much research. GM1 stimulates neuronal sprouting and
enhances the action of nerve growth factor (NGF) by directly and tightly associating with Trk, the high-affinity tyrosine
kinase-type receptor for NGF. GM1 has also been identified as the specific cell surface receptor for cholera toxin making it an
important target for therapeutic interventions.5
References:
1. A. Pukin et al. Chemoenzymatic synthesis of biotin-appended analogues of gangliosides GM2, GM1, GD1a and GalNAc-GD1a for solid-phase applications
and improved ELISA tests. Org. Biomol. Chem., 9(16):5809-5815, 2011
2. L. Svennerholm, et al. (eds.), Structure and Function of Gangliosides, New York, Plenum, 1980
3. T. Kolter, R. Proia, K. Sandhoff, Combinatorial Ganglioside Biosynthesis. J. Biol. Chem., July Vol. 277, No. 29, pp. 25859-25862, 2002
4. S. Birkle, G. Zeng, L. Gao, R. K. Yu, and J. Aubry. Role of tumor-associated gangliosides in cancer progression. Biochimie, 85, 455–463, 2003
5. C. E. Miller, J. Majewski, R. Faller, S. Satija, and T. L. Kuhl, Cholera Toxin Assault on Lipid Monolayers Containing Ganglioside GM1. Biophysj., June
Vol. 86(6), 3700–3708, 2004