Gangliosides of migrating and nonmigrating corneal epithelium in organ and cell culture.

PURPOSE To identify major gangliosides - the sialated glycolipids - of corneal epithelium; to determine which specific gangliosides, if any, are synthesized in a higher amount or are downregulated during corneal epithelial cell migration; and to determine what role, if any, they play in the modulation of corneal epithelial cell proliferation. METHODS [3H]-galactose-labeled and unlabeled glycolipids of migrating and nonmigrating rabbit corneal epithelium in cell and/or in organ culture were chromatographed on DEAE Sephadex to isolate gangliosides. The gangliosides eluted from the ion-exchange column were further characterized by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), glycosidase digestions, and TLC-immunostain analysis. A [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay was used to determine the effect of exogenous gangliosides on corneal epithelium cell proliferation. RESULTS Upon TLC of the acidic fraction eluted from the DEAE column, only two radiolabeled glycolipids (GL1 and GL2), migrating as a doublet, were detected. Regardless of whether the epithelia were prepared by cell culture or organ culture, both GL1 and GL2 were present in a significantly higher amount in migrating compared to nonmigrating epithelia. Further characterization of GL1 and GL2 identified them as gangliosides known as GM3. TLC-immunostain analysis, as well as orcinol staining of thin-layer chromatograms of gangliosides of unlabeled cells, revealed that GM3 also accumulates in a higher amount in migrating compared to nonmigrating epithelial cell cultures. Exogenous addition of GM3, but not various other gangliosides, inhibited corneal epithelial cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS GM3 is the major ganglioside present in corneal epithelium, and its levels are elevated during corneal epithelial cell migration. It is suggested that the ganglioside plays a role in events that modulate corneal epithelial cell proliferation.