Acidic Glycosphingolipids

Acidic glycosphingolipids are negatively charged at physiologic pH. The negative charge is provided by N-acetylneuraminic acid ([NANA], a sialic acid, as shown in Fig. 1) in gangliosides or by sulfate groups in sulfatides

Figure 1: Structure of the ganglioside GM2. ( is a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain.)
1. Gangliosides: These are the most complex glycosphingolipids and are found primarily in the ganglion cells of the CNS, particularly at the nerve endings. They are derivatives of ceramide oligosaccharides and contain one or more molecules of NANA (from CMP-NANA). The notation for these compounds is G (for ganglioside) plus a subscript M, D, T, or Q to indicate whether there is one (mono), two (di), three (tri), or four (quatro) molecules of NANA in the ganglioside, respectively. Additional numbers and letters in the subscript designate the monomeric sequence of the carbohydrate attached to the ceramide. (See Fig. 1for the structure of GM2.) Gangliosides are of medical interest because several lipid storage disorders involve the accumulation of NANA-containing glycosphingolipids in cells .
2. Sulfatides: These sulfoglycosphingolipids are sulfated galactocerebrosides that are negatively charged at physiologic pH. Sulfatides are found predominantly in the brain and kidneys.