Role of Gangliosides and Plasma Membrane-Associated Sialidase in the Process of Cell Membrane Organization

• DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7877-6_14
• Publication Date: 2011-05-26T21:07:45Z
• Authors: Sandro Sonnino; Vanna Chigorno; Massimo Aureli; Anie Priscilla Ma...; Manuela Valsecchi; Nicoletta Loberto; Simona Prioni; Laura Mauri; Alessandro Prinetti
• Keywords: Neurons; Membrane Microdomains; Gangliosides; Cell Membrane; Animals; Humans; Neuraminidase; Ganglioside; Plasma membranes; Sialidase; Sialyltransferases

Glycosphingolipids are amphiphilic membrane lipids characterized by the presence of a long-chain (C18 or C20) amino alcohol, which has the trivial name “sphingosine.” Glycosphingolipids are components of all eukaryotic cell membranes, and gangliosides (glycosphingolipids containing sialic acid residues in their oligosaccharide chains) are particularly abundant in the plasma membranes of neurons. As sphingolipids are concentrated at the subcellular level in the plasma membrane, where they reside asymmetrically in the extracellular leaflet, they are relatively abundant in this district. Keeping in mind that sphingolipids are not homogeneously distributed throughout the membrane plane but rather are concentrated in restricted membrane areas [1] due to their spontaneous segregation with respect to glycerophospholipids, it can be predicted that their local concentration in specific “lipid membrane domains” would be very high.