Golgi-Targeting Anticancer Natural Products

The Golgi apparatus plays an important role in maintaining cell homeostasis by serving as a biosynthetic center for glycans, lipids and post-translationally modified proteins and as a sorting center for vesicular transport of proteins to specific destinations. Moreover, it provides a signaling hub that facilitates not only membrane trafficking processes but also cellular response pathways to various types of stresses. Altered signaling at the Golgi apparatus has emerged as a key regulator of tumor growth and survival. Among the small molecules that can specifically perturb or modulate Golgi proteins and organization, natural products with anticancer property have been identified as powerful chemical probes in deciphering Golgi-related pathways and, in particular, recently described Golgi stress response pathways. In this review, we highlight a set of Golgi-targeting natural products that enabled the characterization of the Golgi-mediated signaling events leading to cancer cell death and discuss the potential for selectively exploiting these pathways for the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents.

Automated summary

The Golgi apparatus is a vital cellular component involved in maintaining cell homeostasis, biosynthesis of glycans, lipids, and modified proteins, as well as sorting and transport of proteins. It also serves as a signaling hub for cellular response pathways. Disturbances in Golgi signaling are implicated in tumor growth and survival regulation. Identification of Golgi-targeting natural products with anticancer properties has allowed for the characterization of Golgi-mediated signaling events leading to cancer cell death, and suggests potential for developing novel chemotherapeutic agents by selectively exploiting these pathways.