Glycosphingolipids of human embryonic stem cells.
The application of human stem cell technology offers theoretically a great potential to treat various human diseases. However, to achieve this goal a large number of scientific issues remain to be solved. Cell surface carbohydrate antigens are involved in a number of biomedical phenomena that are important in clinical applications of stem cells, such as cell differentiation and immune reactivity. Due to their cell surface localization, carbohydrate epitopes are ideally suited for characterization of human pluripotent stem cells. Amongst the most commonly used markers to identify human pluripotent stem cells are the globo-series glycosphingolipids SSEA-3 and SSEA-4. However, our knowledge regarding human pluripotent stem cell glycosphingolipid expression was until recently mainly based on immunological assays of intact cells due to the very limited amounts of cell material available. In recent years the knowledge regarding glycosphingolipids in human embryonic stem cells has been extended by biochemical studies, which is the focus of this review. In addition, the distribution of the human pluripotent stem cell glycosphingolipids in human tissues, and glycosphingolipid changes during human stem cell differentiation, are discussed.
Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.
Michael E
ME
Breimer
Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.
Karin
K
Säljö
Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, P.O. Box 440, S-405 30, Göteborg, Sweden.
Angela
A
Barone
Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, P.O. Box 440, S-405 30, Göteborg, Sweden. Susann.Teneberg@medkem.gu.se.
Susann
S
Teneberg
D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D055746:Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D055746:Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens
Blood group antigens; Glycosphingolipid characterization; Human embryonic stem cells; Human induced pluripotent stem cells; Human pluripotent stem cells; Mass spectrometry; Stem cell marker