Isolation and characterization of GD3 ganglioside having a novel disialosyl residue from rabbit thymus.

A major component of the di- and trisialoganglioside fraction of rabbit thymus was isolated. By neuraminidase treatment, methylation analysis, and CrO3 oxidation, it was identified as GD3 ganglioside with the novel disialosyl residue, NeuNGlyc(alpha, 2-8)NeuNAc(alpha, 2-3)Gal-(beta, 1-4)Glc(beta, 1-1)ceramide. Its concentration was 21.92 nmol/g of wet tissue (12.10% of the total gangliosides) and it contained 91.52% of the lipid-bound sialic acid in di- and trisialogangliosides of rabbit thymus.