Chemical Structure and Metabolic Pathways Involved in Ganglioside Synthesis and Catabolism.

<p>A group of transferase enzymes add either a sugar unit (ex: along A-series pathway) or a sialic acid residue (ex: A to B series pathways) to synthesize different ganglioside species. A different set of enzymes breaks down these components to increase levels of simpler species thus a homeostatic level of each ganglioside species is maintained in a healthy organism.