Carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions between Gg3 trisaccharide-carrying polystyrene (PN(Gg3)) and monolayers of several glycosphingolipids (GSLs) were quantitatively investigated by Surface plasmon resonance techniques. PN(Gg3) was adsorbed onto a GM3 monolayer strongly and specifically with an apparent affinity constant of K-a = 2.5 x 10(6) M-1, and the apparent affinity constants onto GSLs decreased ill the following order: GM3 > LacCer > (KDN)GM3 approximate to GlcCer > GM2 approximate to GD3 approximate to GM4 > GM1 approximate to 2.6-isoGM3 > ceramide. These results suggest that PN(G-3) recognizes not only some specified portions of GM3 but also the trisaccharide as a whole. On the other hand, PN(Lac) and PN(Cel) were bound to GSLs less strongly (K-a approximate to 10(4) M-1) and less selectively. The kinetic analysis revealed that the selectivity ill the adsorption of PN(Gg3) onto the GM3 monolayer is dominated by the faster adsorption rate.