Glycosyltransferase activities in cultured endothelial cells of bovine brain microvascular origin

Takashi Kanda, Toshio Ariga, Masanaga Yamawaki, Hiide Yoshino, Xin Bin Gu, Robert K. Yu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Bovine brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) express GM3 (NeuAc) and GM3 (NeuGc) as the major gangliosides, and GM1, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b as well as sialosylparagloboside and sialosyllactosaminylparagloboside as the minor species. To investigate the metabolic basis of this ganglioside pattern, the activities of eight glycosyltransferases (GM3-, GD1a-, GD3-, LM1-, GM2 (NeuAc)-, GM2 (NeuGc)-, LacCer-, and GM1-synthases) in cultured BMECs were studied. It was found that BMECs possessed high activities of GM3- and GDla- synthases, and low activities of GM2-, GM1-, and GD3-synthases. Thus, the present study provides evidence that endothelial cells are capable of synthesizing gangliosides in situ and that the high content of GM3 in BMEC is closely associated with high activities of GM3-synthase and low activities of GM2-, GM1-, and GD3-synthases.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)463-466
Number of pages4
JournalNeurochemical Research
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1997
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Glycosyltransferase
  • endothelial cells
  • gangliosides

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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