Chemical and Physicochemical Properties of Gangliosides -- Gangliosides of the Nervous System -- Scattering Techniques and Ganglioside Aggregates: Laser Light, Neutron and X-Ray Scattering -- Gangliosides in the Immune System: Role of Glycosphingolipids and Glycosphingolipid-Enriched Lipid Rafts in Immunological Functions -- Ganglioside Metabolism and Its Inherited Diseases -- Gangliosides and Tumors -- Anti-Ganglioside Antibodies in Peripheral Nerve Pathology -- Protocols of Glycosyltransferase Assays: Ganglioside Globoside and Lewis-X Intermediate-Lactosylceramide Biosyntheses in Eukeryotic Systems -- Mass Spectrometry of Gangliosides -- Visualization of Brain Gangliosides Using MALDI Imaging Mass Spectrometry -- Immunoelectron Microscopy of Gangliosides -- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Gangliosides -- Methods for the Preparation of Anti-Ganglioside Monoclonal Antibodies -- Chemical Synthesis of Gangliosides -- Radioactive Gangliosides for Biological Studies -- Synthesis of Fluorescent Gangliosides -- Synthesis of Photoactivatable and Paramagnetic Gangliosides -- Methods for Assay of Ganglioside Catabolic Enzymes -- Pharmacological Modulation of Glycosphingolipid Metabolism -- Molecular Dynamics of Gangliosides -- Determination of Glycolipid Ligands of Carbohydrate-Binding Proteins Directly on Thin Layer Chromatograms -- Identification of KDN-Gangliosides -- Glycoreplica Peptides.

This detailed volume explores methods of examining gangliosides, membrane amphiphilic lipids that are deeply involved in the modulation of the overall properties of cellular membranes, as well as of the functions of membrane-associated proteins. The contents take into account the vital availability of new enzymatic approaches, the knowledge of an incredibly extensive number of glyco-enzymes, and the improvement of multi-genetic analyses. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Gangliosides: Methods and Protocols serves as a valuable guidebook for entering in the vast research world of gangliosides.