The expression of a fucosyl-ganglioside in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus following entorhinal cortical lesions

Abstract

α-Galactosyl (α-fucosyl) GM1 is a ganglioside present in the outer two-thirds of the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus of the rat. This region is the terminal zone for afferents from the entorhinal cortex. In order to evaluate changes in ganglioside expression in this region following deafferentation, a monoclonal antibody (WCC4) was used to monitor the ganglioside from 3 to 30 days following a lesion to the entorhinal cortex. From 7 to 14 days postlesion, there was a relative decrease in the width of the band of immunohistochemical staining on the ipsilateral (lesioned) as compared with the contralateral (non-lesioned) side. The results of these studies indicate that α-galactosyl (α-fucosyl) GM1 is likely to be associated with dendritic shafts in the dentate molecular layer.