GD2 is a Crucial Ganglioside in the Signal Modulation and Application as a Target of Cancer Therapeutics

Abstract

While various glycosphingolipids were identified as cancer-associated carbohydrate antigens to be used as tumor markers, disialylated gangliosides such as GD3 and GD2 have particularly attracted attention from many researchers as promising cancer-associated antigens. Simultaneously, their functions in cancer and normal tissues have also been reported. Although GD3 is expressed at the early neural developmental stage and in various cancers, it is also found in the activated status of some normal cells such as astrocytes and lymphocytes. On the other hand, GD2 is expressed in more restricted cells than GD3, enabling anti-GD2 immune therapy to be more applicable for immunotherapy. Recently, the expression of GD2 has been reported in various epithelial cancers and neuroectoderm-derived tumors. The involvement of GD2 in cancer stem cell propertiesand the roles of GD2 in the signal modulation to bring about cancer stemness are now some of the most fascinating research topics. Cancer immunotherapy targeting GD2 by anti-GD2 antibody or anti-GD2 CAR-T is now widely being challenged with various modifications such as combination with cytokines, chemotherapy, or immune checkpoint blocking.