Figure 2.

Elevated expression of GD2 and below average expression of b-series gangliosides by NB cells results in cell proliferation giving rise to a tumor that may be refractory to treatment, while children with NBs that express higher concentrations of the more complex b-series gangliosides tend to have a better outcome [19,20]. Unanswered is what is the mechanism for clearance of tumor cells in children whose tumors express more of the b-series gangliosides and regress spontaneously. The lower half of the schematic indicates that as expression of GD3 by neural stem cells (NSCs) decreases and that of the more complex gangliosides increases, they start to differentiate and to express a ganglioside pattern associated with mature neurons [69].