Monosialoganglioside, GM4, (egg), (NH4+ salt)

Gangliosides1 are acidic glycosphingolipids that form lipid rafts in the outer leaflet of the cell plasma membrane, especially in neuronal cells in the central nervous system.2 They participate in cellular proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, signal transduction, cell-to-cell interactions, tumorigenesis, and metastasis.3 The accumulation of gangliosides has been linked to several diseases including Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease. An autoimmune response against gangliosides can lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome. GM4 is a monosialoganglioside located primarily in the central nervous system and was found to be a major component of myelin gangliosides.4 It was also found to be a specific marker for human myelin and oligodendroglial perikarya. However, in chicken cerebellum, GM4 is associated with astrocytes, and not with myelin. GM4 has been found to be the major ganglioside in chicken egg yolk, chicken embryonic liver, and frog liver.