Regional differences in the appearance of adult-type glycosphingolipids in the small intestine of inbred rats at weaning time.

The small intestine of 15- to 33-day-old rats was cut into four segments: duodenum, proximal jejunum, distal jejunum, and ileum. Neutral glycosphingolipids and gangliosides were purified from each segment and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography in order to study the developmental appearance of adult-type glycolipids at each level of the small intestine. Type 1 A-6 glycolipid was first detected in the ileum at 15 days and subsequently in the jejunum and duodenum at 19 days of age. N-Glycolylneuraminic acid was expressed first in the ileum at 17 days, then in the proximal jejunum at 21 days, but only after 29 days in the duodenum. In each region, 6-8 days were required between first detection and full expression of N-glycolylneuraminic acid. The presence of 2-hydroxylated fatty acids in glucosylceramide was found first in the ileum at 19 days, 2-3 days before appearing in the duodenum and proximal jejunum. A period of 2-3 days was necessary to reach full adult-type level of 2-hydroxylated fatty acids in glucosylceramide. These results show that adult-type glycolipids appear earlier in the distal than in the proximal region of the rat small intestine, and that different glycolipids appear at different times and at different rates. The finding that the biochemical differentiation of the whole small intestine expands over a period of 3 days to 2 weeks, depending on the region and the glycolipid, before being fully completed indicates that, in addition to the time lag observed between the distal and the proximal region, the new cells arising from the crypt of Lieberkhün after 15 days of age are not at once fully differentiated.