Open AccessA Novel Fucosyltetrahexosylceramide in Plerocercoids of the Parasite Spirometra erinacei
Author(s) -
Kawakami Yasushi,
Nakamura Kazuo,
Kojima Hisako,
Suzuki Minoru,
Inagaki Fuyuhiko,
Suzuki Akemi,
Ikuta Junko,
Uchida Akihiko,
Murata Yoshihiko,
Tamai Yoichi
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
european journal of biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1432-1033
pISSN - 0014-2956
DOI - 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1996.0905u.x
Subject(s) - glycosphingolipid , galactose , ceramide , carbohydrate , biology , chemistry , stereochemistry , biochemistry , apoptosis
A novel glycosphingolipid, fucosyltetrahexosylceramide, has been isolated from the plerocercoids of a tapeworm, Spirometra erinacei , and characterized by permethylation analysis, sequential degradation with exoglycosidases, fast atom bombardment MS and 1 H‐NMR. The chemical structure was determined to be as follows.This glycosphingolipid was tentatively designated as GalSEGLx, in which the carbohydrate structure is characterized by an additional galactose molecule attached to the reducing‐end galactose of SEGLx [Gal,β‐4(Fucα‐3)Glcβ‐3GalβCer], which was previously determined by us [Kawakami, Y., Nakamura, K., Kojima, H., Suzuki, M., Inagaki, F., Suzuki, A., Sonoki, S., Uchida, A., Murata, Y. & Tamai, Y. (1993) J. Biochem. 114 , 677–683], through a β1–6 linkage. The ceramide contained sphinganine and 4 D ‐hydroxysphinganine in an about equimolar ratio, and a non‐hydroxy fatty acid with carbon atoms ranging from 16 to 28, 26:0, 28:0 and 28:1 being major components. Based on the finding that a novel carbohydrate structure, Galβ‐4Glcβ‐3Gal, was commonly found in glycosphingolipids from the parasite, S. erinacei , we here propose the terms, spirometo series, for this core structure series, and spirometosides, for glycosphingolipids having this carbohydrate structure.