Glycolipids and their developmental patterns in chick thigh and leg muscles.

Five major gangliosides and two major neutral glycolipids were isolated from chick thigh and leg muscles using Unisil column chromatography and preparative thin-layer chromatography. They were identified by gas-liquid chromatography as GD3, GM3, and N-acetyl glucosamine-containing mono- and disialogangliosides. Two major neutral glycolipids were found and identified as monogalactosylceramide and digalactosylceramide. The quantification of each ganglioside by thin-layer chromatography was done using a direct densitometric method, and the pattern of changes of glycolipids during development was investigated. In the embryonic period, GD3 was the predominant ganglioside. GD3 and the N-acetylglucosamine-containing disialoganglioside decreased; GM3 increased during embryonic life and became the major post-natal ganglioside. The two neutral glycolipids also increased rapidly after hatching.