Evidence for a functional role of gangliosides in synaptic transmission: studies on rat brain striatal slices

The influence of neuraminidase from Vibrio cholerae on evoked, extracellular potentials from rat brain striatal slices was tested. Enzyme treatment abolished synaptic transmission within 90 min. Biochemical analysis of the neuraminidase-treated slices has demonstrated a 10-fold increase in the amount of free sialic acid. The thin-layer chromatography of gangliosides extracted from enzyme-treated slices showed a decrease in the amount of polysialogangliosides (GD1a, GD1b, GT1b, GQ1b) by 1.5-fold. As a consequence, the amount of monosialoganglioside (GM1), which is resistant to neuraminidase from Vibrio cholerae, increased by 1.7-fold. As the antidromic potential remained unchanged after enzyme treatment, our results suggest involvement of polysialogangliosides in cholinergic transmission in the striatum.