Gangliotriaosylceramide (asialo GM2), a glycosphingolipid marker for cell lines derived from patients with Hodgkin's disease.

Three cell lines, isolated from different patients with Hodgkin's disease, were analyzed for their neutral glycosphingolipids by high performance liquid chromatography. On two of these lines gangliotriaosylceramide (asialo GM2) was identified by the comparison of retention time to authentic standards and by degradation with specific glycosidases. This glycosphingolipid was also serologically detected with a specific monoclonal antibody of the IgM class. The third line, which according to other criteria such as the Epstein Barr virus nuclear antigen differs phenotypically from the first two, did not exhibit gangliotriaosylceramide. This glycosphingolipid is an unusual marker for human cells and could not be detected on the peripheral blood leukocytes of healthy donors.