Drug-Induced Alteration of Ganglioside Biosynthesis

The glycosphingolipid biosynthesis may be regulated at two major points; one at the genetic level, where the carbohydrate series and possibly the substitution by carbohydrate side chains is decided. Second to this, the total amount and the component ratio distribution may be epigenetically regulated. The latter mechanism may include glycolipid changes during the cell cycle (2,3,4,5,6) or upon cell to cell contact (7,8,9). Besides this, a number of drugs, among them lectins, differentiation inducers and opiates, apparently interfere with this epigenetic regulation.