Rabbit sciatic nerve as a model for studying ganglioside metabolism in regenerating nerve.

The rabbit sciatic nerve contains a sufficient amount of gangliosides for chemical analyses. We have developed a method by which the dorsal root ganglion of L-7 can easily be injected with a radiolabeled precursor of ganglioside biosynthesis. We have used this to demonstrate that gangliosides are synthesized in dorsal root ganglia and then transported into peripheral nerve. Sialyltransferase-I activity is present in dorsal root ganglia, lumbosacral trunk, and sciatic nerve. This model is now well characterized for studies on ganglioside metabolism in degenerating and regenerating peripheral nerve.