title: Gangliosides of human melanoma.
abstract: Human melanoma synthesizes a large quantity of gangliosides, glycosphingolipids containing sialic acid. The authors previously have demonstrated that the ganglioside profile differs among individual melanomas and is widely heterogeneous. In the current study, a retrospective study was performed to compare the relationship between the quantity of five major gangliosides of human melanoma (GM3, GM2, GD3, GD2, and alkali-labile ganglioside) and nine clinical factors (sex, age, site, stage, tumor size, pigmentation, histopathologic type of primary tumor, chemosensitivity, and prognosis). Melanoma specimens studied were obtained from patients of our clinic and included 52 biopsy specimens and 28 cultured cell lines. Analysis of melanoma biopsy specimens have shown a differential ganglioside expression among different sites of tumor, pigmentation, and histopathologic types. Results of cultured melanoma cell lines differed from those of biopsy specimens, but ganglioside expression also differed among the site of tumor, tumor size, histopathologic types, and chemosensitivity. GM3 positively correlated with a good prognosis in both biopsy and cultured melanomas.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, John Wayne Clinic, UCLA School of Medicine 90024.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Saxton
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Irie
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000032:analysis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010858:Pigmentation; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides; D012794:Sialic Acids