title: Structure and genetic polymorphism of blood group A-active glycosphingolipids of the rat large intestine.
abstract: Study of blood group A- and B-active glycosphingolipid content of the epithelium of the large intestine of 16 strains of inbred rats led to the discovery of two related strains, SHR and WKY, devoid of A-active glycolipids, whereas all strains expressed B-active glycolipids. This finding evidenced a new A/non-A genetic polymorphism in the rat. Blood group A-active glycolipids were isolated from the large intestine of F344 rats and purified by affinity chromatography on immobilized Helix pomatia lectin. Three glycolipid fractions were separated by preparative thin-layer chromatography and characterized by electron-impact mass spectrometry of their permethylated and permethylated-LiAlH4-reduced derivatives. They were identified as a tetraglycosylceramide (A-4), a hexaglycosylceramide (A-6), and a difucosylated heptaglycosylceramide (A-7) with small amounts of monofucosylated octaglycosylceramide (A-8). Methylation analysis and fragmentation indicated that A6 and A-8 had a lacto- and A-7 a neolactotetraosylceramide core, respectively, identical to the core structures of B-6 and B-7 previously characterized in the large intestine of WF rats (Angström et al. (1987) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 926, 79-86). Upon methylation analysis, B-6 and B-7 purified from SHR (A-deficient) and F344 (A-expressing) were found identical to those of WF rats. This result indicated that precursor substrates for the synthesis of A-active glycolipids were available in SHR rats and thus the genetic deficiency of A-active glycolipid expression probably originated in a defect of the termination of the blood group A determinant by the alpha-3-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U. 211, Institut de Biologie, Nantes, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bouhours
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hansson
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bouhours
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D007422:Intestines / Q000737:chemistry*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D006028:Glycosphingolipids