Characterization of the ceramide moieties of sphingoglycolipids from mouse brain by ESI-MS/MS: identification of ceramides containing sphingadienine.
Sphingoglycolipids (SGLs) are cell membrane constituents. As the ceramide structure influences the biological properties of the SGL, we characterized by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry the molecular species of ceramides present in SGL of mouse brain. We report here for the first time the presence in mammalian brain of sphingadienine (d18:2). Sphingenine (d18:1) is present in all SGL species, in contrast to eicosasphingenine (d20:1), which is a constituent of only gangliosides. Sphingadienine is present in galactosylceramide and sulfatides. Free ceramides contain the three types of bases. Thus, there could be two separate pools of free ceramides (d18:1, d18:2 and d20:1, d18:1) as precursors of complex SGL.
Colsch
Benoit
B
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U495, Laboratoire de Neurochimie, Hopital de la Salpetriere, 75651 Paris 13, France.
Afonso
Carlos
C
Popa
Iuliana
I
Portoukalian
Jacques
J
Fournier
Françoise
F
Tabet
Jean-Claude
JC
Baumann
Nicole
N
D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002518:Ceramides / Q000737:chemistry*; D004983:Ethanolamines / Q000737:chemistry*; D005699:Galactosylceramides / Q000737:chemistry; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000737:chemistry; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000737:chemistry
D002518:Ceramides; D004983:Ethanolamines; D005699:Galactosylceramides; D005732:Gangliosides; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; C003337:sphingadienine; D013110:Sphingosine