Qualitative differences in position of sialylation and surface expression of glycolipids between murine lymphomas with low metastatic (Eb) and high metastatic (ESb) potentials and isolation of a novel disialoganglioside (GD1 alpha) from Eb cells.

Glycolipids of murine lymphoma cell lines with low metastatic (Eb) and high metastatic (ESb) potentials have been investigated. The Eb cell line was characterized by a high quantity of gangliotriaosylceramide (Gg3), gangliotetraosylceramide (Gg4), GM1b, and a new type of disialoganglioside, termed GD1 alpha. In contrast, the high metastatic ESb cell line was characterized by the absence of these glycolipids and instead by the presence of GM3, GM2, GM1a, GD1a, and GD1b gangliosides. A clear cell surface reactivity with monoclonal antibody anti-Gg3 (2D4) was observed only in Eb cells. Thus, Eb cells are distinct from ESb cells in their ability to add the GalNAc residue to LacCer, supplying Gg3 for synthesis of a series of glycolipids via an asialogangliotetraosyl pathway, while ESb cells are capable of synthesizing GM3, which initiates synthesis of ganglio-series gangliosides GM2, GM1a, GD1a, and GD1b. While disialogangliosides of ESb cells were identified as GD1a and GD1b, a disialoganglioside isolated from Eb cells was characterized as having a novel structure (referred to as GD1 alpha) as follows: (formula; see text) Thus, Eb and ESb cells are clearly different in their qualitative sialylation patterns, i.e., the position of sialic acid residues. Cell surface labeling with galactose-oxidase/NaB[3H]4 revealed a high exposure of Gg3 and Gg4 at the Eb cell surface, while both labels were absent in ESb cells. In contrast, ESb cells showed a substantial label at GM1a, which was greatly enhanced after sialidase treatment.