Novel fucolipids of human adenocarcinoma: characterization of the major Ley antigen of human adenocarcinoma as trifucosylnonaosyl Ley glycolipid (III3FucV3FucVI2FucnLc6).

A series of glycolipid antigens with Ley determinant (Fuc alpha 1----2Gal beta 1----4(Fuc alpha 1----3)GlcNAc) defined by monoclonal antibody AH6 (Abe, K., McKibbin, J. M., and Hakomori, S. (1983). J. Biol. Chem. 258, 11793-11797) have been detected in human colonic carcinoma cases. Three Ley-active components have been identified as follows. The simplest compound was characterized as Ley hexaosylceramide (lactodifucohexaosylceramide, III3FucIV2FucnLc4), which was previously isolated and was found as the major component in six out of eight cases of colonic adenocarcinoma but as only a very minor component in two cases. The second component was a very minor component in all eight cases, and its structure was identified by 1H NMR spectroscopy as an extended Ley (lactodifucooctaosylceramide, V3FucVI2FucnLc6; Structure 1 below). The third, major component, common in all eight cases, has been identified as trifucosyl Ley (lactotrifucononaosylceramide, III3FucV3FucVI2FucnLc6, Structure 2 below) based on 1H NMR spectroscopy, methylation analysis, and direct-probe electron-impact mass spectrometry. (formula; see text)