Gangliosides of rat eye lens: a severe reduction in the content of C-series gangliosides following streptozotocin treatment

Gangliosides of eye lenses from normal and experimentally induced diabetic rats were investigated by methods including glycolipid-overlay techniques. Adult rat eye lens showed a complex ganglioside pattern that consisted of six major ganglioside components. These gangliosides were identified as GM3, GD3, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b, and GQ1b based upon their reactivity to anti-GM1 antibody after in situ sialidase treatment and mobility on thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Gangliosides in eye lens were further characterized by TLC-immunostaining with A2B5, a specific monoclonal antibody directed toward c-series gangliosides. Eye lens contained GT3 as the main c-series ganglioside component. Unexpectedly, the relative concentration of GT3 in total gangliosides of eye lens was highest among neural and extra-neural tissues examined. Administration of streptozotocin to rats caused a severe reduction in the GT3 content in eye lenses as early as day 3 without apparent changes in the composition of major gangliosides. Alloxan failed to produce such an effect despite producing similar hyperglycemic conditions. These results suggest that rat eye lens probably contains a streptozotocin-susceptible cell type(s), which is highly enriched with c-series gangliosides.