Schengrund C L
Department of Biological Chemistry, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey 17033.
Brain Res Bull. 1990 Jan;24(1):131-41. doi: 10.1016/0361-9230(90)90297-d.
Gangliosides, sialylated glycosphingolipids, are found in greatest concentration in the brain. While they were first characterized as a unique class of lipids almost 50 years ago, little is known regarding their actual function. It is known that (a) ganglioside composition changes during development, (b) different types of neural cells have specific gangliosides associated with them, (c) the accumulation of gangliosides in certain inborn errors of metabolism results in the formation of aberrant meganeurites, and (d) gangliosides appear to enhance recovery from certain neural traumas. Recent work suggests that it is the oligosaccharide portion of the ganglioside that carries much of the biological specificity. Coupled with observations that ganglioside-binding proteins are present on the plasma membranes of cells, it suggests the hypothesis that gangliosides present on the surface of one cell may interact with specific ganglioside-binding proteins, "receptors," on target cells. As a result of the ganglioside-binding protein interaction, a signal could be transmitted to the cell. This might occur via modulation of the effect of the endogenous ganglioside on the activity of a kinase(s) or by an alteration in ionic flux. The signal would initiate the appropriate cellular response.
神经节苷脂是唾液酸化糖鞘脂，在大脑中含量最高。虽然它们在近50年前就首次被鉴定为一类独特的脂质，但对其实际功能却知之甚少。已知：（a）神经节苷脂的组成在发育过程中会发生变化；（b）不同类型的神经细胞有与之相关的特定神经节苷脂；（c）在某些先天性代谢缺陷中神经节苷脂的积累会导致异常巨神经纤维的形成；（d）神经节苷脂似乎能促进从某些神经创伤中恢复。最近的研究表明，神经节苷脂的寡糖部分具有许多生物学特异性。再加上观察到神经节苷脂结合蛋白存在于细胞膜上，这就提出了一个假说，即一个细胞表面的神经节苷脂可能与靶细胞上特定的神经节苷脂结合蛋白（“受体”）相互作用。由于神经节苷脂与结合蛋白的相互作用，信号可能会传递给细胞。这可能是通过调节内源性神经节苷脂对激酶活性的影响，或者通过改变离子通量来实现的。该信号将引发适当的细胞反应。
