Globo H/SSEA3/SSEA4

Globo H is a hexasaccharide and belongs to a large number of tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens that are overexpressed on the surface of various epithelial cancer cells, including breast, colon, ovarian, pancreatic, lung, and prostate cancer cells. The aberrant expression of Globo H renders it an attractive candidate for immunotherapy and the development of cancer vaccines for Globo H-positive cancers. Stage-specific embryonic antigen 3 (SSEA-3) is a glycosphingolipid, specifically, an oligosaccharide composed of five carbohydrate units connected to a sphingolipid. Sphingolipids were originally discovered in 1884 by Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Thudichum who named them after the Sphinx of Greek mythology in reference to the unresolved riddle of their function. SSEA-3, SSEA-4 and Globo H are expressed not only on breast cancer cells, but also on breast cancer stem cells. In renal cell carcinoma, high-level expressions of SSEA-4 and disialosyl galactosyl globoside (disialosyl Gb5Cer, DSGG) are observed.