Glycosphingolipids and drug resistance

Drug resistance, an all too frequent characteristic of cancer, represents a serious barrier to successful treatment. Although many resistance mechanisms have been described, those that involve membrane-resident proteins belonging to the ABC (ATP binding cassette) transporter superfamily are of parti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biochimica et biophysica acta 2006-12, Vol.1758 (12), p.2096-2103
Main Authors: Gouaze-Andersson, Valerie, Cabot, Myles C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters - physiology
Drug Resistance
Glucosylceramide synthase
Glycosphingolipids
Glycosphingolipids - physiology
Humans
Lipids - physiology
Multidrug resistance
Neoplasms - physiopathology
P-glycoprotein
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Summary:Drug resistance, an all too frequent characteristic of cancer, represents a serious barrier to successful treatment. Although many resistance mechanisms have been described, those that involve membrane-resident proteins belonging to the ABC (ATP binding cassette) transporter superfamily are of particular interest. In addition to cancer, the ABC transporter proteins are active in diseases such as malaria and leishmaniasis. A recent renaissance in lipid metabolism, specifically ceramide and sphingolipids, has fueled research and provided insight into the role of glycosphingolipids in multidrug resistance. This article reviews current knowledge on ceramide, glucosylceramide synthase and cerebrosides, and the relationship of these lipids to cellular response to anticancer agents.
ISSN:0005-2736
0006-3002
1879-2642
DOI:10.1016/j.bbamem.2006.08.012