Different ceramide compositions of gangliosides between human motor and sensory nerves.

Ganglioside analysis of human motor and sensory nerves revealed that ceramide compositions of sensory nerve GD1a, GD1b, and GM1 differed apparently from those in the motor nerve. These gangliosides from sensory nerve contained a large amount of long-chain fatty acids and d18:1 as a major long chain base. On the contrary, the motor nerve gangliosides contained C16-18 fatty acids and a large amount of d20:1 besides d18:1. Furthermore, these gangliosides were enriched more in the axon fraction than in the myelin fraction. LM1, which was a major ganglioside in myelin from human peripheral nerve, was composed of similar ceramide compositions in the two nerves. The present findings suggest that the characteristic ceramide species of nerve gangliosides may reflect in part properties of their own neurons.