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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Fleeting sugar chain interactions may hold the key to cancer control. Researchers discovered that brief, repeated pairings of glycans on cell membrane lipids help regulate EGFR — a receptor tied to cancer — by suppressing unwanted cell division. The findings open a potential new avenue for targeting tumor growth through glycan-based mechanisms.
Scientists have uncovered a surprising new player in cell division regulation: sugar chains, or glycans, attached to lipids and proteins on the cell membrane. Published in Nature Communications, researchers from OIST, Gifu University, and collaborators used advanced single-molecule imaging to observe that gangliosides — glycan-carrying membrane lipids — form fleeting pairs lasting just 0.1–0.2 seconds. Despite their brevity, these repeated "homodimer" encounters have lasting biological consequences.
The key finding centers on GM3, a ganglioside that suppresses the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) — a protein frequently implicated in cancer. GM3 homodimers bind to EGFR glycans, acting as a constantly renewed brake that reduces unwanted EGFR activation in the absence of external stimulation. The team also found that these transient pairs cooperate with cholesterol to form dynamic membrane "nanorafts" that help organize cellular signaling.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: Abnormal EGFR activation is a hallmark of many cancers. This discovery introduces a new molecular control mechanism — one that could inspire therapies targeting glycan environments to rein in tumor cell proliferation.
