TY - JOUR
T1 - Glycosylation of glycolipids in cancer
T2 - Basis for development of novel therapeutic approaches
AU - Daniotti, Jose L.
AU - Vilcaes, Aldo A.
AU - Demichelis, Vanina Torres
AU - Ruggiero, Fernando M.
AU - Rodriguez-Walker, Macarena
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Altered networks of gene regulation underlie many pathologies, including cancer. There are several proteins in cancer cells that are turned either on or off, which dramatically alters the metabolism and the overall activity of the cell, with the complex machinery of enzymes involved in the metabolism of glycolipids not being an exception. The aberrant glycosylation of glycolipids on the surface of the majority of cancer cells, associated with increasing evidence about the functional role of these molecules in a number of cellular physiological pathways, has received considerable attention as a convenient immunotherapeutic target for cancer treatment. This has resulted in the development of a substantial number of passive and active immunotherapies, which have shown promising results in clinical trials. More recently, antibodies to glycolipids have also emerged as an attractive tool for the targeted delivery of cytotoxic agents, thereby providing a rationale for future therapeutic interventions in cancer. This review first summarizes the cellular and molecular bases involved in the metabolic pathway and expression of glycolipids, both in normal and tumor cells, paying particular attention to sialosylated glycolipids (gangliosides). The current strategies in the battle against cancer in which glycolipids are key players are then described.
AB - Altered networks of gene regulation underlie many pathologies, including cancer. There are several proteins in cancer cells that are turned either on or off, which dramatically alters the metabolism and the overall activity of the cell, with the complex machinery of enzymes involved in the metabolism of glycolipids not being an exception. The aberrant glycosylation of glycolipids on the surface of the majority of cancer cells, associated with increasing evidence about the functional role of these molecules in a number of cellular physiological pathways, has received considerable attention as a convenient immunotherapeutic target for cancer treatment. This has resulted in the development of a substantial number of passive and active immunotherapies, which have shown promising results in clinical trials. More recently, antibodies to glycolipids have also emerged as an attractive tool for the targeted delivery of cytotoxic agents, thereby providing a rationale for future therapeutic interventions in cancer. This review first summarizes the cellular and molecular bases involved in the metabolic pathway and expression of glycolipids, both in normal and tumor cells, paying particular attention to sialosylated glycolipids (gangliosides). The current strategies in the battle against cancer in which glycolipids are key players are then described.
KW - Antibodies
KW - Cancer
KW - Gangliosides
KW - Glycolipids
KW - Glycosylation
KW - Immunotherapy
KW - Immunotoxin
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84892411944&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84892411944&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fonc.2013.00306
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2013.00306
M3 - Review article
C2 - 24392350
AN - SCOPUS:84892411944
SN - 2234-943X
VL - 3 DEC
JO - Frontiers in Oncology
JF - Frontiers in Oncology
M1 - 00306
ER -