Glycosylation of glycolipids in cancer: basis for development of novel therapeutic approaches

DANIOTTI J.L.; VILCAES A.; TORRES DEMICHELIS V.A.; RUGGIERO F.M.; RODRIGUEZ WALKER M.

FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY

Frontiers Media SA

Año: 2013 vol. 3 p. 1 - 1

2234-943X

ltered 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 inter