Glioblastoma target GD2 changes with TGF-beta signaling in two cell-line models
Published in Biology, Brain/Neurology, Drugs development & discovery, Journals.
Published October 31, 2026.
GD2, a potential therapeutic target in glioblastoma, can change in opposite directions depending on the tumor cell model and its signaling environment. A study published today in Scientific Reports examined this variability in two laboratory cell lines.
Researchers exposed U87-MG and U251-MG cells to TGF-β and measured gangliosides, gene expression, surface GD2 and migration. Surface GD2 increased in U251-MG cells but decreased in U87-MG cells, alongside distinct mesenchymal-like responses.
Inhibiting UGCG, an enzyme involved in glycosphingolipid production, reduced GD2 expression and migration. Because this intervention affects broader lipid biosynthesis, those results do not isolate GD2 as the sole cause of altered migration.
The findings suggest that GD2 abundance may depend on cellular state rather than serving as a fixed tumor marker. This could matter when developing therapies that need sufficient target expression.
The experiments used two cell lines. They do not establish how GD2 changes during treatment in patients or demonstrate the effectiveness of a GD2-directed therapy.
Source: Tarnóczi, K., Siddi, C., Grember, M. et al., Scientific Reports, October 31, 2026. Read the original study.