Five major gangliosides and two major neutral glycolipids were isolated from chick thigh and leg muscles using Unisil column chromatography and preparative thin-layer chromatography. They were identified by gas-liquid chromatography as GD3, GM3, and N-acetyl glucosamine-containing mono- and disialogangliosides. Two major neutral glycolipids were found and identified as monogalactosylceramide and digalactosylceramide. The quantification of each ganglioside by thin-layer chromatography was done using a direct densitometric method, and the pattern of changes of glycolipids during development was investigated. In the embryonic period, GD3 was the predominant ganglioside. GD3 and the N-acetylglucosamine-containing disialoganglioside decreased; GM3 increased during embryonic life and became the major post-natal ganglioside. The two neutral glycolipids also increased rapidly after hatching.
Animals Chick Embryo