Phytosphingosine-containing neutral glycosphingolipids and sulfatides in the human female genital tract: their association in the cervical epithelium and the uterine endometrium and their dissociation in the mucosa of fallopian tube with the menstrual cycle.

In human cervical epithelium and uterine endometrium, globo-series neutral glycosphingolipids with N-alpha-hydroxy fatty acyl phytosphingosine (4-D-hydroxysphinganine) as the ceramide and sulfatide (I3SO3-GalCer), which were contained in trace amount at the follicular phase, significantly increased in concentration at the luteal phase, comprising about 20% of the individual neutral glycosphingolipids and about 15% of the total acidic glycosphingolipids, respectively. However, in the mucosa of fallopian tube, neutral glycosphingolipids with the same polarity as those in the cervical epithelium and uterine endometrium at the luteal phase and sulfatide remained at a constant and higher level independently of the menstrual cycle. The structures of neutral glycosphingolipids in the fallopian tube, having the same polarity as that of N-alpha-hydroxy fatty acyl phytosphingosine-containing molecules appeared in the cervical epithelium and uterine endometrium at the luteal phase, were determined to be N-alpha-hydroxy palmitoyl 4-sphingenine-containing ones by negative-ion FABMS. Also, laminin, but not collagen type IV, was found to be contained in the concentration correlated well with that of sulfatide in the genital tract, when determined by western blotting with monoclonal anti-laminin and anti-collagen type IV antibodies, indicating a possible function of sulfatide as a receptor for laminin in the human female genital tract.