title: Composition of long chain bases in ceramide of the guinea pig Harderian gland.
abstract: Ceramide of the guinea pig Harderian gland was isolated and characterized. The purified ceramide gave two spots on thin-layer chromatography. Ceramide with the higher Rf value (NHCer) contained non-hydroxy fatty acids and that with the lower Rf value (HCer) contained 2-hydroxy fatty acids. The ratio of NHCer to HCer was 6:1. The non-hydroxy fatty acids of NHCer were composed of straight-chain acids (94.9%) and branched-chain acids (5.1%). The 2-hydroxy fatty acids were also composed of straight-chain acids (94.2%) and branched-chain acids (5.8%). The ratio of straight-chain acids to branched-chain acids was similar in NHCer and HCer. The long chain bases of NHCer and HCer consisted of straight chain sphinganines and sphingenines, and methyl-branched long chain bases. In NHCer, 59.9% of the total bases were methyl branched, and in HCer, 48.3%. The characteristics of ceramide, that is, the large amount of methyl-branched long chain bases and relatively small amount of methyl-branched fatty acids, are similar to those of cerebroside and sphingomyelin isolated from the same organ, although the ratios of constituents are different among these sphingolipids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Chemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yasugi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kasama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Seyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002518:Ceramides / Q000737:chemistry*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006243:Harderian Gland / Q000737:chemistry*; D013107:Sphingolipids / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D005227:Fatty Acids; D013107:Sphingolipids