Reduced diversity of the human erythrocyte membrane sialic acids in polycythemia vera. Absence of N-glycolylneuraminic acid and characterisation of N-acetylneuraminic acid 1,7 lactone.

Abstract Sialic acids from the erythrocyte (RBC) membrane of a patient suffering from polycythemia vera, a malignant orphan disorder of hematopoietic cells, was studied using GC/MS. We found that the sialic acid diversity of these membranes was drastically reduced since only four entities were identified: Neu5Ac (91.5%) and its 1,7 lactone Neu5Ac1,7L (7.5%) which is absent in normal RBC, Neu4,5Ac 2 (0.50%) and Neu4,5Ac 2 9Lt (0.50%); in normal RBC, Neu5,7Ac 2 , Neu5,9Ac 2 , Neu5Ac9Lt, Neu5Ac8S and Neu, as well as traces of Kdn, were also present. Neu5Gc and its O -alkylated or O -acetylated derivatives, which are considered by various authors as cancer markers, were not detected.