Abstract
Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) have been implicated as playing major roles in cellular interactions and control of cell proliferation in muticellular organisms. Moreover GSLs and other sphingolipids such as sphingomyelins, ceramides and sphingosines serve a variety of roles in signal transduction. Hence, identification of structures of GSLs in different biota will shed light in understanding their physiological role. During this study, the major glycosphingolipid component present in the extracts of stage-12 and stage-17/18 metamorphosing adults of Manduca sexta was identified as mactosyl ceramide. We report the isolation of several ceramide disaccharides, a ceramide trisaccharide and a ceramide tetrasaccharide. The GSL structures were confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. The identity of the monosaccharides was proved using exoglycosidases. The predominant sphingosine chain-length varied from C-14 (tetradecasphing-4-enine) to C-16 (hexadecasphing-4-enine) in these GSLs. Sphingosines of both chain lengths were accompanied by their doubly unsaturated counterparts tetradecasphinga-4,6-diene and hexadecasphinga-4,6-diene. It is also interesting to note the presence of tetradecasphinganine and hexadecasphinganine in minute amounts in the form of a GSL in the extracts of M. sexta. The varying degrees of unsaturation in the sphingosine moiety of GSLs in M. sexta may be biologically significant in insect metamorphosis. The ceramide trisaccharides and ceramide tetrasaccharide belong to the arthro-series, The observation of fucose in the M. sexta GSLs is the first report of the presence of fucose in an arthroseries GSL.
Accepted Version (
Free)
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
