A glycosphingolipid chemically similar to cerebrosides but containing one or more sialic (N-acetylneuraminic or N-glycolylneuraminic) acid residues; found principally in nerve tissue, spleen, and thymus; GM1 accumulates in generalized gangliosidosis; GM2 accumulates in Tay-Sachs disease. SYN: sialoglycosphingolipid.
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gan·gli·o·side 'gaŋ-glē-ə-.sīd n any of a group of glycolipids that are found esp. in the plasma membrane of cells of the gray matter and have sialic acid, hexoses, and hexosamines in the carbohydrate part and ceramide as the lipid
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n.
one of a group of glycolipid found in the brain, liver, spleen, and red blood cells (they are particularly abundant in nerve cell membranes). Gangliosides are chemically similar to cerebroside but contain additional carbohydrate groups.
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gan·glio·side (gangґgle-o-sīd″) any of a group of glycosphingolipids in which the polar head group on ceramide is a sialic acid–containing oligosaccharide linked via a glucose residue; they occur predominantly in tissues of the central nervous system. The most basic core structure is ceramide-glucose-galactose-N-acetylneuraminic acid.Medical dictionary. 2011.