Monoclonal antibody 18B8, which detects synapse-associated antigens, binds to ganglioside GT3 (II3 (NeuAc)3LacCer).

By immunofluorescence, mouse monoclonal antibody 18B8 detects developmentally regulated antigens in chick neural retina. In older embryos and in adults these antigens are localized in discrete laminae within the inner and outer synaptic layers. The antibody binds to several gangliosides that undergo both qualitative and quantitative changes during neuronal development (Grunwald, G.B., Fredman, P., Magnani, J.L., Trisler, D., Ginsburg, V., and Nirenberg, M. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 4008-4012). The simplest of these gangliosides was isolated from lipid extracts of 10-day chick embryonic retinas by DEAE-Sepharose and silicic acid column chromatography. About 300 micrograms was obtained from 9.3 g (wet weight) of retina. The isolated ganglioside was identified as GT3 by enzymatic analysis and by a comparison of its properties with the authentic ganglioside. By immunostaining thin-layer chromatograms with antibody 18B8, GT3 was detected in gangliosides from human neural tissue including cerebellum, optic nerve, and spinal cord, but not in gangliosides from human liver, pancreas, small intestine, adrenals, thyroid, or erythrocytes. GT3 was also found in five of seven human melanoma cell lines.