Distribution of asialo GM1 in lymphoid cells in thymus.

The quantitative change of asialo MG1 on the surface of mouse thymocytes was demonstrated in various ontogenic differentiation stages by immunoelectron microscopic study. Detection of asialo GM1 was performed using anti-asialo GM1 prior fixation in the mixture of glutaraldehyde and paraformaldehyde. Anti-asialo GM1 react with unit membrance of perinuclear space and Golgi complex in the thymocytes which express asialo GM1 on the surface. Those anti-asialo GM1 reaction products observed on the surface and intracellular structures disappeared by ethanol- or methanol-treatment but mostly remained by acetone-treatment. These results suggest that anti-asialo GM1 react to the similar antigen determinants both on the surface and in the cytoplasm which are composed of carbohydrate and lipid.