Biological Significance of GSLs

GSLs play crucial roles in functions of the nervous system and skin, cell growth and differentiation, infections, cancer, and immune response [1, 2, 12], Owing to their strategic position in membranes, they interact with toxins, bacteria, and viruses. They form membrane lipid rafts and present the attached carbohydrates as cell-surface receptors and, thus, serve as portals of entry for pathogens through carbohydrate-protein interactions [13]. For example, HIV entry is mediated by GalCer receptors of the host cells [14], 

Some gangliosides of the globo series (Globo-H, sLcx hexasaccharyl ceramide, etc.) are useful cancer cell markers because they are elevated in the membranes of certain types of tumor cells such as melanomas and metastatic brain tumors. A number of GSLs play a role as tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) 

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