Glycobiological strategies to inhibit the proliferative potential of ErbB receptors in human cancer.

Overexpression and mutations of ErbB receptors are frequently associated with the high proliferation rate of some tumor cells and the poor prognosis of patients with different types of cancer. The development of new potential therapeutic strategies able to curtail the growth of tumor cells is a highly pursued goal in basic research and in clinicel applications. The inhibition of the proliferation of tumor cells could be mediated by directly or indirectly targeting ErbB receptors. Hence, in this minireview three experimental strategies to attain the arrest of cell proliferation by targeting ErbB receptors with glycobiological tools are explored. This includes: the delivery of cytotoxic lectins to the cell interior using ErbB receptors as carriers, bioengineering tumor cells to modify the normal glycosylation pattern and function of ErbB receptors, and the use of natural occurring inhibitory glycoligands for ErbB receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]