Ganglioside GM2, Asialo

Ganglioside GM2 asialo (asialo-GM2) is a glycosphingolipid containing three monosaccharide residues and one fatty acid of variable chain length, but lacks the sialic acid residue present on ganglioside M2. Asialo-GM2 is found at low or undetectable levels in normal human brains, but it accumulates in the brains of patients with Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease, which are expressed as lysosomal β- A neurodegenerative disorder characterized by hexosaminidase A and B deficiency. It also binds to various bacteria, including Pseudomonas isolated from cystic fibrosis patients. The Asialo-GM2 mixture contains ganglioside GM2 asialo molecular species with fatty acyl chains of variable length.