{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T05:50:58Z","timestamp":1775109058461,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774915200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Gangliosides containing O-acetyl-sialic acid or a sialic acid forming a lactone ring, classified as alkali-labile gangliosides (ALGs), were the focus of extensive research until the late 1990s. Their identification and isolation for structural characterization require strict avoidance of alkaline treatments, a common step in standard ganglioside purification protocols used to eliminate glycerophospholipid contamination. After 2000, scientific interest in alkali-labile gangliosides declined significantly, resulting in a dearth of new information and few updates on their biological significance. However, in recent years, new insights have emerged regarding the potential of anti-acetylated ganglioside antibodies for specific tumor treatments and how ganglioside structures can modulate the activity of membrane receptors through specific interactions. Further knowledge of alkali-labile gangliosides could be very useful for better understanding their significance in both normal and tumor cells. In this manuscript, we intend to revisit the existing knowledge on alkali-labile gangliosides and form hypotheses regarding their possible roles in cells.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27073188","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T16:34:08Z","timestamp":1774974848000},"page":"3188","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Forgotten Gangliosides: O-Acetylated and Lactone Gangliosides"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4194-4804","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Mauri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, 20054 Segrate, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4641-9053","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefano","family":"Vaghi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, 20054 Segrate, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8180-5908","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sandro","family":"Sonnino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, 20054 Segrate, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"269","DOI":"10.1007\/s10719-023-10103-0","article-title":"Alkali-labile gangliosides","volume":"40","author":"Mauri","year":"2023","journal-title":"Glycoconj. 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