A novel O-acetylated ganglioside detected by anti-GD2 monoclonal antibodies.

Murine monoclonal antibody (MAb) 3F8 was previously shown to react with disialoganglioside GD2, but not with GD3, GT1b, GD1b, GD1a, GM1, GM3 and GM4. However, when the base-treatment step was ommitted from the standard neuroblastoma ganglioside extraction procedure, immuno-thin-layer-chromatography (ITLC) using 3F8 and other anti-GD2 MAbs revealed a new ganglioside band, abbreviated as NG (Rf 0.342) besides GD2 (R 0.183). It migrated below GD3 (Rf 0.358) on high-performance (HP) TLC plate and its binding to 3F8 on ITLC could be inhibited by rat anti-3F8 idiotypic antibody Idio-2, while the binding of GD2 to MAb 3F8 was not affected. Immunochemical analysis showed that this new neuroblastoma ganglioside contained alkali-sensitive O-acetylated sialic-acid residues recognized by MAb DI.I. After base treatment, its subsequent identity on ITLC was confirmed to be GD2. Lactonization of GD2 yielded 2 major bands, with Rf values (0.401, 0.583) distinct from that of the new ganglioside band. In addition, MAb DI.I did not bind to any of these GD2 lactones. Of 15 anti-GD2 MAbs studied, 13 reacted strongly with the novel ganglioside NG. By ITLC, this NG was found in ganglioside extracts of fresh surgical tumor specimens (4/4 neuroblastomas, I/I schwannoma and I/I anaplastic astrocytoma), and nude mice/rat xenografts (2/2 neuroblastomas, 2/2 osteogenic sarcomas). These data provided the first evidence that O-acetylated GD2 is a naturally occurring ganglioside derivative in human tumors and that it could cross-react with most anti-GD2 antibodies.