Glycolipid transfer protein from pig brain transfers glycolipids with β-linked sugars but not with α-linked sugars at the sugar-lipid linkage

Abstract

The glycolipid transfer protein purified from pig brain facilitates the transfer of various glycosphingolipids and glyceroglycolipids (Yamada K., Abe A. and Sasaki T. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 4615–4621). In this paper, the transfer of Man β1 → 4Glc β1-Cer and Man α1 → 4Man β1 → 4Glc β1-Cer isolated from a bivalve, Corbicula japonica, the transfer of 3-[ Glcα1-]- sn-1,2-diacylglycerol and 3-[ Glcα1 → 2 Glcα1-]- sn-1,2-diacylglycerol prepared from Streptococcus lactis, and the transfer of 3-[Glcβ1-]-rac-1,2-dipalmitylglycerol have been investigated. The transfer of these lipids from liposomes to mitochondria was assayed by the decrease of these lipids in the donor liposomes. These lipids were determined by chromatographic isolation of the lipids, acid hydrolysis of the isolated lipids, and subsequent determination of glucose in the hydrolysate. The glycolipid transfer protein facilitated the transfer of ManGlcCer and ManManGlcCer. The transfer protein did not facilitate the transfer of Glcα-diacylglycerol or GlcαGlcα-diacylglycerol. However, the transfer of Glcβ-dipalmitylglycerol was facilitated by the protein. These results strongly suggest that the glycolipid transfer protein has the specificity to the presence of β-linked glucose or galactose directly linked to either ceramide or diacylglycerol.