Enzymatic Synthesis of Two Fucose-Containing Glycolipids with Fucosyltransferases of Human Serum

Lacto-N-neotetraosylceramide incubated with human serum fucosyltransferase preparations gave rise to two fucoglycolipids. The faster migrating fucoglycolipid I on the basis of its thin-layer chromatographic mobility, susceptibility to alpha(1 leads to 2) fucosidase from Trichomonas foetus, radio-immunoprecipitation with Ulex europeus lectin and studies with Oh (Bombay) sera was identified as H-active glycolipid (H-I). The most probable structure of fucoglycolipid II should be that with fucose linked alpha(1 leads to 3) to N-acetylglucosamine. Lactosylceramide, ceramide trihexoside and globoside were not substrates for human serum fucosyltransferases. Lacto-N-neotetraosyl ceramide served as a fucose acceptor for all serum preparations tested while asialoganglioside was a substrate only when serum preparations containing H-gene dependent alpha-2-L-fucosyltransferase were used. With asialoganglioside only one radioactive reaction product was formed.