Isolation and characterization of the sulfated gangliotriaosylceramide from rat kidney.

A sulfoglycosphingolipid containing N-acetylgalactosamine has been isolated from the lipid extract of rat kidney. The isolation procedure involved extraction of lipids with chloroform/methanol, alkaline methanolysis, and column chromatographies with DEAE-Sephadex and Silica beads. The components were N-acetylgalactosamine, galactose, glucose, sphingoid bases, fatty acids, and sulfate in equimolar amounts. The yield of this sulfoglycolipid was about 24 nmol/g of tissue, which was about 13% of that of galactosylceramide 3-sulfate from rat kidney. By infrared spectroscopy, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, periodate oxidation, solvolysis, chromium trioxide oxidation, and methylation analysis of the native and partially degraded compound, the structure of this glycolipid is proposed to be GalNAc beta 1--4(HSO3-3)Gal beta 1--4Glc beta 1--1Cer.