Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
10
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-5-25
pubmed:abstractText
Gangliosides are a family of glycosphingolipids that contain sialic acid. Although they are abundant on neuronal cell membranes, their precise functions and importance in the central nervous system (CNS) remain largely undefined. We have disrupted the gene encoding GD3 synthase (GD3S), a sialyltransferase expressed in the CNS that is responsible for the synthesis of b-series gangliosides. GD3S-/- mice, even with an absence of b-series gangliosides, appear to undergo normal development and have a normal life span. To further restrict the expression of gangliosides, the GD3S mutant mice were crossbred with mice carrying a disrupted GalNAcT gene encoding beta1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase. These double mutant mice expressed GM3 as their major ganglioside. In contrast to the single mutant mice, the double mutants displayed a sudden death phenotype and were extremely susceptible to induction of lethal seizures by sound stimulus. These results demonstrate unequivocally that gangliosides play an essential role in the proper functioning of the CNS.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0021-9258
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
9
pubmed:volume
276
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
6885-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Mice expressing only monosialoganglioside GM3 exhibit lethal audiogenic seizures.
pubmed:affiliation
Genetics of Development and Disease Branch, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't