Separation and micro-detection of oligosaccharides of glycosphingolipids by high performance cellulose thin-layer chromatography-autoradiofluorography.

A method is described for the microscale characterization of the oligosaccharides of glycosphinglolipids using high-performance cellulose thin-layer chromatography and autoradiofluorography. With this procedure the oligosaccharides of neutral glycosphingolipids as well as gangliosides were analyzed at an average detection of 10 pmol. The method was tested with the known glycolipds from the erythrocytes of man, sheep, rabbit and guinea pig. As a further application small quantities of the as yet unidentified glycolipids of rat erythrocyte ghosts were isolated and their oligosaccharides determined.