ArticleThe Journal of biological chemistry2012
Ceramide glycosylation by glucosylceramide synthase selectively maintains the properties of breast cancer stem cells.
Article in The Journal of biological chemistry, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Suppression of Glucosylceramide Synthase Reverses Drug Resistance in Cancer Cells Harboring Homozygous p53 Mutants.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Targeting Sphingolipids in Breast Cancer: From Tumor Biology to Therapeutic Strategies.Oncology research · 2026Review
- Glucosylceramide Synthase, a Key Enzyme in Sphingolipid Metabolism, Regulates Expression of Genes Accounting for Cancer Drug Resistance.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Advances in ORMDL Research in Malignant Tumors: A Review.OncoTargets and therapy · 2025Review
- Shiga Toxin: Emerging Producer Strains, Prophylactic Approaches, and Application in Cancer Therapy.Journal of cancer prevention · 2024Review
- CRISPR/Cas9-mediated silencing of CD44: unveiling the role of hyaluronic acid-mediated interactions in cancer drug resistance.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2024Review
- Mass Spectrometry Detects Sphingolipid Metabolites for Discovery of New Strategy for Cancer Therapy from the Aspect of Programmed Cell Death.Metabolites · 2023Review
- Article
- Novel lectin-based chimeric antigen receptors target Gb3-positive tumour cells.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2022Article
- Review
- Glycosphingolipids in human embryonic stem cells and breast cancer stem cells, and potential cancer therapy strategies based on their structures and functions.Glycoconjugate journal · 2022Review
- Inhibition of Ceramide Glycosylation Enhances Cisplatin Sensitivity in Cholangiocarcinoma by Limiting the Activation of the ERK Signaling Pathway.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Shiga Toxins as Antitumor Tools.Toxins · 2021Review
- Therapeutic Uses of Bacterial Subunit Toxins.Toxins · 2021Review
- Abnormal Glycosylation of Cancer Stem Cells and Targeting Strategies.Frontiers in oncology · 2021Review
- Gb3-cSrc complex in glycosphingolipid-enriched microdomains contributes to the expression of p53 mutant protein and cancer drug resistance via β-catenin-activated RNA methylation.FASEB bioAdvances · 2020Article
- Cancer stem cells and ceramide signaling: the cutting edges of immunotherapy.Molecular biology reports · 2020Review
- Review
- The role of lipid species in membranes and cancer-related changes.Cancer metastasis reviews · 2020Review
- Verotoxin-1-Induced ER Stress Triggers Apoptotic or Survival Pathways in Burkitt Lymphoma Cells.Toxins · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Cancer stem cells are distinguished from normal adult stem cells by their stemness without tissue homeostasis control. Glycosphingolipids (GSLs), particularly globo-series GSLs, are important markers of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells, but little is known about whether or not ceramide glycosylation, which controls glycosphingolipid synthesis, plays a role in modulating stem cells. Here, we report that ceramide glycosylation catalyzed by glucosylceramide synthase, which is enhanced in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) but not in normal mammary epithelial stem cells, maintains tumorous pluripotency of BCSCs. Enhanced ceramide glycosylation and globotriosylceramide (Gb3) correlate well with the numbers of BCSCs in breast cancer cell lines. In BCSCs sorted with CD44(+)/ESA(+)/CD24(-) markers, Gb3 activates c-Src/β-catenin signaling and up-regulates the expression of FGF-2, CD44, and Oct-4 enriching tumorigenesis. Conversely, silencing glucosylceramide synthase expression disrupts Gb3 synthesis and selectively kills BCSCs through deactivation of c-Src/β-catenin signaling. These findings highlight the unexploited role of ceramide glycosylation in selectively maintaining the tumorous pluripotency of cancer stem cells. It speculates that disruption of ceramide glycosylation or globo-series GSL is a useful approach to specifically target BCSCs specifically.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.