GANGLIOSIDES EXPRESSED IN HUMAN BREAST-CANCER

Breast tumors that mere histopathologically diagnosed as invasive duct al carcinoma were examined in relation to their abnormal expression of gangliosides. Total ganglioside levels that were expressed as lipid-b ound sialic acids were significantly higher in breast tumor tissues th an in normal mammary tissues. Two kinds of unusual gangliosides were f ound to be expressed in many cases of breast tumors. One was a group o f O-acetylated gangliosides, such as O-acetya-GD3 and O-acetyl-GT3. Th ey are known as fetal gangliosides, which appear in fetal brains. The other was an N-glycolylneuraminic acid-containing ganglioside, N-glyco lyl-GM3, which had not been previously found in normal human tissues. The finding that unusual gangliosides are expressed in breast tumors m ay provide the basis for their immunological diagnosis and vaccine the rapy.