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What are Glycolipids?
Glycolipids are complex lipids comprising a carbohydrate moiety covalently bonded to a lipid backbone, typically a glycerol or sphingoid base. As critical constituents of cellular membranes, glycolipids play essential roles in cell signaling, immune responses, membrane stability, and pathogen-host interactions. Subclasses include glycosphingolipids, glycoglycerolipids, and saccharolipids, varying across tissue types and species.
Their dynamic structure and function necessitate comprehensive and highly sensitive profiling for in-depth biological interpretation and translational application.
Why Need Glycolipid Analysis?
Glycolipid profiling provides invaluable insights into:
- Pathophysiological processes such as neurodegeneration, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.
- Lipid-based biomarker discovery for diagnostic and therapeutic targeting.
- Lipid metabolism regulation in response to genetic, environmental, or pharmacological factors.
- Mechanistic studies of glycolipid-mediated cell signaling and microbial interactions.
Routine lipid extraction or untargeted omics approaches lack the resolution and specificity to accurately detect and differentiate structurally similar glycolipids. Our targeted and untargeted glycolipidomics service overcomes these barriers using advanced platforms and curated databases.
Glycolipids Analysis in Creative Proteomics
Glycosphingolipid Profiling:
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of cerebrosides, gangliosides (GM1–GM3, GD1a), sulfatides, and globosides.
Glycoglycerolipid Analysis & Saccharolipid Detection
Identification and quantification of MGDG, DGDG, SQDG, and lipid A from plant and microbial samples.
Targeted Glycolipid Quantification
Absolute quantification using isotope-labeled standards and MRM-based LC-MS/MS methods.
Untargeted Glycolipidomics
Full-spectrum discovery of known and novel glycolipids with MS/MS fragmentation for structural insight.
Glycolipid Structure Elucidation
Determination of sugar linkages, branching, and lipid backbones using high-resolution fragmentation.
Metabolic Pathway & Flux Analysis
Mapping glycolipid-related pathways with KEGG/LIPID MAPS; isotopic tracing available.
Custom Glycolipid Panel Development
Design of targeted panels for disease-specific or drug-response studies.
Comparative Glycolipidomics Across Conditions
Multi-group analysis with integrated statistical modeling (PCA, volcano plots, clustering).
Data Interpretation and Bioinformatics Reporting
Reports include ID, quantification, stats, and pathways — in raw and publication-ready formats.
List of Detected Glycolipids
- Glycosphingolipids
- Globosides
- Glycoglycerolipids
- Saccharolipids
- Sialylated Glycolipids
- Ceramide-Based Intermediates
- Pathway Intermediates
Glycosphingolipids are composed of a ceramide backbone linked to one or more sugar residues. They play critical roles in signal transduction, cell–cell recognition, and neurodevelopment.
- Glucosylceramide (GlcCer)
- Galactosylceramide (GalCer)
- Lactosylceramide (LacCer)
- GM3, GM2, GM1
- GD3, GD1a, GT1b
- Sulfatides
- Ceramide monohexoside (CMH)
Globosides are neutral glycosphingolipids containing multiple sugar units; sulfoglycolipids contain sulfate groups that impact immune signaling and neuroinflammation.
- Gb3 (Globotriaosylceramide)
- Gb4
- Forssman glycolipid
- Sulfatide (3′-sulfo-GalCer)
- Seminolipid
Glycoglycerolipids
Found mainly in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, glycoglycerolipids are glycerol-based lipids bound to one or more sugar units. They are essential for photosynthetic membrane structure.
- Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG)
- Digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG)
- Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG)
- Glucuronosyldiacylglycerol
Saccharolipids consist of fatty acids linked directly to sugar backbones and are primarily found in bacteria. They are key in immune modulation and bacterial virulence.
- Lipid A
- Lipooligosaccharides (LOS)
- Lipopolysaccharides (LPS)
- KDO-containing structures
- Heptose-lipid conjugates
Sialylated Glycolipids (Gangliosides)
These glycolipids contain one or more sialic acid residues and are particularly abundant in nervous tissue, where they regulate synaptic transmission and neuroplasticity.
- GM1a
- GD1a
- GD1b
- GT1b
- CMP-Neu5Ac (Cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid)
Ceramide-Based Intermediates
These act as both precursors and degradation products in glycolipid metabolism. They are critical to understanding lipid remodeling and disease states.
- Ceramide (Cer)
- Sphingosine
- Sphinganine
- Hexosylceramides
- Dihydroceramide
- Phytosphingosine
Glycolipid-Related Pathway Intermediates
These small molecules participate in glycolipid biosynthesis or degradation and are often included in metabolic flux and pathway tracing studies.
- UDP-glucose
- UDP-galactose
- CMP-sialic acid
- PAPS (3′-Phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate)
- Glucosamine-6-phosphate
- Glycerol-3-phosphate
Why Choose Our Glycolipids Assay?
- Detection sensitivity down to 0.1–1 ng/mL for low-abundance glycolipids.
- >200 glycolipid species detectable, including gangliosides, sulfatides, and saccharolipids.
- Quantification reproducibility with RSD <10% across replicates.
- High-resolution MS/MS with mass accuracy <3 ppm enables isomer separation.
- Utilizes Orbitrap Exploris™ 240 and QTRAP® 6500+ platforms for dual-mode analysis.
- Sample extraction yields >90% recovery across diverse biological matrices.
- LC-MS run time under 15 minutes per sample for high-throughput studies.
- Reports include HMDB, KEGG, LIPID MAPS IDs, plus glycan structure annotation.
- Supports both small-scale (n<10) and large-cohort (n>500) custom workflows.
How Creative Proteomics Provides Glycolipid Assay?
What Methods are Used for Our Glycolipids Analysis?
Thermo Scientific™ Orbitrap Exploris™ 240: Enables high-resolution untargeted profiling with mass accuracy <3 ppm.
Agilent 1290 Infinity LC + QTRAP 6500+: Applied in HILIC-MS workflows for polar and acidic glycolipid analysis.
Orbitrap MSn Mode: Supports in-depth structural elucidation of glycan linkages and sphingolipid backbones.
SCIEX Triple Quad™ 6500+ (Figure from Sciex)
Agilent 1260 Infinity II HPLC (Fig from Agilent)
Orbitrap Exploris™ 240 (Figure from Thermo Fisher)
Glycolipids Analysis Service: Results and Data Analysis
Standard Deliverables
- Quantitative result tables reporting absolute or relative concentrations (e.g., ng/mL, pmol/mg tissue) of all detected glycolipid species, including gangliosides, sulfatides, globosides, and glycosylated glycerolipids.
- Class-level summary reports showing total abundance and distribution trends for each glycolipid subclass (e.g., GM1, GD3, LacCer, SQDG) across samples.
- Normalized data matrices, corrected using internal standards and sample input volume, compatible with common statistical and pathway analysis tools.
- Raw instrument data provided in Thermo (.raw), SCIEX (.wiff), or open (.mzML) formats for full transparency and independent reprocessing.
- Quality control documentation, including RSD% of replicates, recovery efficiency, blank/background controls, and calibration curves.
HILIC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of a phospholipid and glycolipids extracted from S. costatus (Mazzella, Nicolas, et al., 2023).
HPLC-ESI MS analysis of glycolipids from KSM-fao1 grown on 2-tetradecanol (Takahashi, Fumikazu, et al., 2019).
Advanced Data Analysis (Optional)
- Multivariate analysis such as PCA, PLS-DA, and hierarchical clustering to identify sample groupings and lipidomic variation patterns.
- Differential expression analysis, highlighting statistically significant glycolipid changes across experimental groups with fold change, p-values, and FDR adjustment.
- Pathway and ontology mapping, integrating databases like KEGG, LIPID MAPS, and Reactome to trace glycolipid-related metabolic shifts.
- Fragmentation-based structure validation to distinguish glycan isomers, confirm sugar linkages, and characterize novel glycolipid variants.
Delivery Formats
- Excel and CSV spreadsheets for direct use in bioinformatics workflows and data visualization platforms.
- Graphical summary reports (PDF) including volcano plots, lipid class distribution charts, clustering heatmaps, and pathway enrichment diagrams.
- Expert interpretation summaries, highlighting key glycolipid alterations, biological implications, and potential mechanistic insights.
Explore our Lipidomics Solutions brochure to learn more about our comprehensive lipidomics analysis platform.
Download Brochure
What Our Glycolipids Analysis Used For
Microbial Characterization
Distinguishing bacterial and fungal strains based on species-specific glycolipid profiles.
Plant Physiology
Investigating the role of glycolipids like MGDG and DGDG in photosynthesis and stress adaptation.
Food Lipidomics
Profiling glycolipids in dairy, fermented products, and functional foods to assess nutritional quality.
Environmental Lipidomics
Monitoring glycolipid biomarkers in soil and aquatic systems to trace microbial community changes.
Host-Microbiome Interaction
Exploring glycolipid-mediated signaling between commensal microbes and host immune responses.
Bioengineering and Synthetic Biology
Evaluating engineered organisms for glycolipid production in biofuel and biomaterial research.
Sample Requirements for Glycolipids Analysis Solutions
| Sample Type | Minimum Amount Required |
|---|
| Blood / Serum / Plasma | ≥ 200 µL |
| Tissue (animal or plant) | ≥ 50 mg (wet weight) |
| Cell Pellets | ≥ 1 × 10⁷ cells |
| Bacterial / Fungal Cultures | ≥ 100 mg (wet weight) or OD600 ≥ 1.0, 10 mL |
| Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) | ≥ 300 µL |
| Food Samples (e.g. milk, soy, algae) | ≥ 1 g |
| Environmental Samples (soil, sludge, biofilms) | ≥ 500 mg (wet weight) |
FAQs for Glycolipids Analysis Service
Is there a minimum number of samples required for analysis?
There is no strict minimum, but for statistical comparisons we recommend at least 3–5 biological replicates per group.
What quality control steps are included to ensure data reliability?
We include internal standards, blank controls, technical replicates (if provided), and detailed QC metrics in every report.
Can I request targeted analysis for specific glycolipid subclasses only?
Yes. Targeted workflows can be customized to focus on selected subclasses (e.g., gangliosides, sulfatides), improving sensitivity and throughput.
Can I submit lyophilized samples or extracts instead of raw material?
Yes, but please consult us first. Extracts must follow proper lipid extraction protocols and be compatible with LC-MS analysis (e.g., no detergents or salts).
Is glycolipid analysis compatible with isotope labeling experiments (e.g., 13C, 15N)?
Yes. We support stable isotope tracing studies to investigate glycolipid biosynthesis and flux under experimental conditions.
Can Creative Proteomics help with batch effect correction across large sample cohorts?
Yes. We apply internal standard normalization, batch tracking, and optional statistical correction methods like ComBat or LOESS.
Will I receive assistance interpreting pathway-level changes?
Yes. Our reports include pathway mapping and expert commentary on significant glycolipid alterations and their potential metabolic implications.
Publication
- White matter lipid alterations during aging in the rhesus monkey brain. GeroScience, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-024-01353-3
- Characterization of Dnajc12 knockout mice, a model of hypodopaminergia. bioRxiv, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.06.602343
- Annexin A2 modulates phospholipid membrane composition upstream of Arp2 to control angiogenic sprout initiation. The FASEB Journal, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202201088R
- Multi‐omics identify xanthine as a pro‐survival metabolite for nematodes with mitochondrial dysfunction. EMBO Journal, 2019. https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.201899558
- Evidence for phosphate-dependent control of symbiont cell division in the model anemone Exaiptasia diaphana. mBio, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01059-24
- The olfactory receptor Olfr78 promotes differentiation of enterochromaffin cells in the mouse colon. EMBO reports, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44319-023-00013-5
- Metabolomic Studies in Girls With Central and Peripheral Precocious Puberty. Fabad Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023. https://doi.org/10.55262/fabadeczacacilik.1344851
- Prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a standardized oral pomegranate extract on the gut microbiome and short-chain fatty acids. Foods, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010015
