Complex glycosphingolipids of the pheochromocytoma cell line PC12: enhanced fucosylglycolipid synthesis following nerve growth factor treatment.

The effect of nerve growth factor treatment on the expression of neutral glycosphingolipids and gangliosides was examined in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells grown in spinner culture. These studies show that PC12 cells contain an unusual group of fucose containing neutral glycolipids and gangliosides. The fucose containing neutral glycolipids, which appear to be derivatives of globoside, are very minor components. However, nearly all of the gangliosides in PC12 cells contain fucose. Two minor neutral glycolipids were isolated from these cells, and were identified as fucosylgloboside and galactosylgloboside. Two major gangliosides were also isolated and identified as fucosyl GM2 and fucosyl GD2. Studies using [3H]fucose to examine the synthesis of fucosylglycolipids indicate that nerve growth factor enhances the incorporation of fucose into glycolipids and gangliosides by as much as 80%. These studies show that all of the gangliosides in PC12 cells appear to increase in concentration when the cells are treated with nerve growth factor in spinner culture. However, only the complex fucose containing neutral glycolipids increase in concentration during this same treatment, while the non-fucosylated precursors do not.