title: High expression of lactotriaosylceramide, a differentiation-associated glycosphingolipid, in the bone marrow of acute myeloid leukemia patients.
abstract: Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are information-bearing biomolecules that play critical roles in embryonic development, signal transduction and carcinogenesis. Previous studies indicate that certain GSLs are associated with differentiation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. In this study, we collected bone marrow samples from healthy donors and AML patients and analyzed the GSL expression profiles comprehensively using electrospray ionization linear ion-trap mass spectrometry. The results showed that AML patients had higher expression of the GSL lactotriaosylceramide (Lc3), GM3 and neolactotetraosylceramide (nLc4) in their bone marrow than did the healthy donors (P < 0.05), especially the M1 subtype of AML. To further explore the molecular mechanisms of Lc3, we examined the expression of the Lc3 synthase β1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase5 (β3Gn-T5) and found that the bone marrow samples of AML patients had 16-fold higher expression of β3Gn-T5 than those of healthy donors (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that AML-associated GSLs Lc3, GM3 and nLc4 are possibly involved in initiation and differentiation of AML.
authors.affiliation: Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zijun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yunhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhenming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Depei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Dapeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yunsen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism*; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015870:Gene Expression; D005915:Globosides / Q000378:metabolism; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007790:Lactosylceramides / Q000378:metabolism*; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000378:metabolism*; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012015:Reference Standards; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D005915:Globosides; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D007790:Lactosylceramides; C024032:globotetraosylceramide; C025575:lactotriaosylceramide; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases; C067641:lactosylceramide 1,3-N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminyltransferase