Celi AB, Goldstein J, Rosato-Siri MV, Pinto A. Role of Globotriaosylceramide in Physiology and Pathology.
Front Mol Biosci 2022;
9:813637. [PMID:
35372499 PMCID:
PMC8967256 DOI:
10.3389/fmolb.2022.813637]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
At first glance, the biological function of globoside (Gb) clusters appears to be that of glycosphingolipid (GSL) receptors for bacterial toxins that mediate host-pathogen interaction. Indeed, certain bacterial toxin families have been evolutionarily arranged so that they can enter eukaryotic cells through GSL receptors. A closer look reveals this molecular arrangement allocated on a variety of eukaryotic cell membranes, with its role revolving around physiological regulation and pathological processes. What makes Gb such a ubiquitous functional arrangement? Perhaps its peculiarity is underpinned by the molecular structure itself, the nature of Gb-bound ligands, or the intracellular trafficking unleashed by those ligands. Moreover, Gb biological conspicuousness may not lie on intrinsic properties or on its enzymatic synthesis/degradation pathways. The present review traverses these biological aspects, focusing mainly on globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), a GSL molecule present in cell membranes of distinct cell types, and proposes a wrap-up discussion with a phylogenetic view and the physiological and pathological functional alternatives.
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