ganglioside

noun

gan·​gli·​o·​side ˈgaŋ-glē-ə-ˌsīd 

: any of a group of glycolipids that yield a hexose sugar on hydrolysis and are found especially in the plasma membrane of cells of the gray matter

Examples of ganglioside in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

A mutation in the GLB1 gene causes the disease by not producing an enzyme that breaks down a substance known as GM1 ganglioside, which eventually reaches toxic levels. —Damin Esper, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Ganglioside, from Ganglion ganglion + -oside (in Glycoside glycoside); so called because such lipids were first isolated from ganglia in the brain

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ganglioside

noun

gan·​gli·​o·​side ˈgaŋ-glē-ə-ˌsīd 

: any of a group of glycolipids that are found especially 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