Gangliosides sensitize unresponsive fibroblasts to Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin.

Chemically transformed mouse fibroblasts did not raise their cyclic AMP level in response to Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin. These fibroblasts did, however, incorporate exogenous mono-, di-, and trisialogangliosides. After the uptake of monosialoganglioside galactosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl-[N-acetylneuraminyl]-galactosylglucosylceramide (GM1), the cells responded to E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin. The di- and trisialogangliosides were considerably less effective. GM1, the putative cholera toxin (choleragen) receptor, has been implicated previously as the receptor for E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin based on the ability of the free ganglioside to inhibit the effects of toxin. This investigation establishes that the ganglioside, when incorporated into fibroblasts, serves a functional role in mediating the responsiveness to the toxin.