Cyclic AMP accumulation in HeLa cells induced by cholera toxin. Involvement of the ceramide moiety of GM1 ganglioside.

The influence of ceramide composition on the rate of GM1 association to HeLa cells has been investigated by incubating the cells in the presence of either native ganglioside or molecular species carrying highly homogeneous long chain base moieties, fractionated from native GM1. The GM1 ganglioside species carrying the unsaturated C18 long chain base moiety proved to have the fastest rate of association, whereas the saturated species carrying 20 carbon atoms had the slowest rate. After having increased the GM1 cell content (65-fold) by incubation with the various ganglioside species, the cells were incubated with cholera toxin and the time course of cyclic AMP accumulation was monitored. Remarkable differences among cells enriched with the various molecular species were found in the duration of the lag time preceding the accumulation of cyclic AMP, the shortest being displayed by the unsaturated C18 species. Moreover, the amount of cyclic AMP accumulated after a given time of incubation with cholera toxin was significantly higher when the C18:1-GM1 species was present than with native GM1. Fluorescence anisotropy experiments, carried out using the probe 1,3-diphenylhexatriene, show that the GM1 ganglioside ceramide moiety was also modifying the cell membrane fluidity of the host.