Subcellular Distribution and Possible Role of Gangliosides in the CNS

Abstract

Knowledge about the subcellular localization of a certain chemical component in the CNS is essential to the understanding of its possible function. When applied to the brain the methods of cell fractionation have provided a direct approach to the fine topology of transmitters and other active substances, as well as of the enzymes involved in their synthesis or inactivation and of the chemical receptor proteins (see Rodriguez de Lores Arnaiz and De Robertis, 1973; De Robertis, 1975). The study of the subcellular distribution of brain gangliosides is of considerable interest in view of their high concentration in the CNS, particularly in gray matter. These complex glycolipids were first found in the brain microsomal fraction, presumably in membrane fragments of dendrites (Wolfe, 1961).