Subcellular distribution and possible role of gangliosides in the CNS.

From cell fractionation studies it is concluded that gangliosides have a wide distribution in neuronal plasma membranes, being concentrated in the microsomal and the nerve-ending membranes rich in acetylcholinesterase. When properly purified synaptic vesicles are devoid of gangliosides and acetylcholinesterase; thus the possible relationship between gangliosides and the cholinergic transmitter should be discarded. There are important evidences that specific gangliosides may play a role in the binding of certain toxins and viruses to the plasma membrane; however, their possible role as synaptic receptors is not supported by our experiments. The central receptor for 5HT appears not to be related to brain gangliosides and is represented by a hydrophobic protein (i.e. proteolipid) present in the synaptic junction.