GD2 and GD3 synthase: novel drug targets for cancer therapy

Nathalie Sphyris; Tapasree Roy Sarkar; Venkata L Battula; Michael Andreeff; Sendurai A Mani

doi:10.4161/23723556.2014.975068

GD2 and GD3 synthase: novel drug targets for cancer therapy

Mol Cell Oncol. 2015 Mar 9;2(3):e975068. doi: 10.4161/23723556.2014.975068. eCollection 2015 Jul-Sep.

Authors

Nathalie Sphyris¹, Tapasree Roy Sarkar¹, Venkata L Battula², Michael Andreeff², Sendurai A Mani³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Translational Molecular Pathology; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ; Houston, TX USA.
² Department of Leukemia; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ; Houston, TX USA.
³ Department of Translational Molecular Pathology; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX USA; Metastasis Research Center; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX USA; Center for Stem Cells and Developmental Biology; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX USA.

Abstract

Our recent study suggests that targeting GD3 synthase (also known as ST8SIA1)-the rate-limiting enzyme in biosynthesis of the breast cancer stem cell marker GD2-abrogates metastasis and depletes the cancer stem cell populations within a tumor, thus providing an effective therapeutic strategy against metastatic breast cancers.

Keywords: EMT; GD2; GD3S; cancer stem cells; metastasis.

Grants and funding

R01 CA155243/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States