The major gangliosides of the bovine pineal body.

Acetone powders of fresh-frozen pineals were extracted with chloroform/methanol mixtures. By column chromatography on silicic acid, mild alkaline methanolysis, ion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography and a final thin layer chromatography on silicic acid, the major glycosphingolipids were purified from the extracts of a total of 300 bovine pineal bodies. Chromatographically purified fractions were characterized by gas chromatographic analysis. The most prominent glycosphingolipid appeared to be cerebroside. In addition, five different gangliosides were found in detectable levels. The two major gangliosides have the chromatographic and component characteristics of GD3 and GM3, with disialoganglioside predominating. Gangliosides indistinguishable from purchased standards of GM1 and GD1a were third and fourth, respectively, in amount. The fatty acid profiles of the two lactosyl gangliosides are similar and significantly different from those of the two gangliotetraose gangliosides. The fifth most prominent ganglioside, present at a level of 1.09% of total recovered ganglioside sialic acid, appears to be a novel trisialoganglioside, called GTx. This new molecule has a component ratio of gal:glc:sialic acid:amino sugar of approximately 1:2:3:1. Similarities between bovine pineal and rod outer segments are discussed.