title: Genetic control of ganglioside biosynthesis in mice.
abstract: The enzymatic basis for the differences in hepatic ganglioside patterns in the mouse strains C57Bl/6 and Swiss White (SW) was investigated. SW has a "Swiss-type" ganglioside profile, expressing GM1- and GD1a- in addition to GM2- as major hepatic gangliosides, whereas C57Bl/6 shows a "GM2-type" profile, expressing only GM2- as the major hepatic ganglioside. The enzyme UDP-galactose:GM2 ganglioside galactosyltransferase (GM2-GalT), which catalyzes the synthesis of GM1 ganglioside, showed a four- to fivefold elevation in intact and solubilized liver Golgi membrane fractions of the SW strain compared to C57Bl/6. Crosses between C57Bl/6 and SW produced an F1 generation with a hepatic ganglioside and enzymatic phenotype intermediate between those of the two parental strains. All three genotypic groups show two forms of the Golgi apparatus enzyme with isoelectric points of 6.5-6.8 and 8.3-9.0. The simplest mode of action of genes which control the enzymatic phenotype that would be consistent with these findings are one or two structural genes or one or two cis-regulatory genes affecting the rate of enzyme synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sokoloff
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hechtman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005700:Galactosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051147:Ganglioside Galactosyltransferase; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005796:Genes; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000201:enzymology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides; D007527:Isoenzymes; D005700:Galactosyltransferases; D051147:Ganglioside Galactosyltransferase