Stage specific embryonic antigen 3 explained

Stage-specific embryonic antigen 3 (SSEA-3) is a glycosphingolipid, specifically, an oligosaccharide composed of five carbohydrate units connected to a sphingolipid. Sphingolipids were originally discovered in 1884 by Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Thudichum who named them after the Sphinx of Greek mythology in reference to the unresolved riddle of their function.^[1] It is now known that sphingolipids function as key players in cell signaling ^[2] and the SSEA-3 molecule as a whole plays a key role in identifying many types of mammalian cells with pluripotent and stem cell-like characteristics.^{[3] [4]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Thudichum , John Louis William . A Treatise on the Chemical Constitution of Brain. Bailliere, Tindall, and Cox. London. 1884. 253038666.
2. Futerman . AH. Hannun . YA. The complex life of simple sphingolipids. EMBO Reports . 5 . 8 . 777–782. 2004. 15289826 . 1299119 . 10.1038/sj.embor.7400208.
3. Kuroda. Yasumasa. Kitada. Masaaki. Wakao. Shohei. Nishikawa. Kouki. Tanimura. Yukihiro. Makinoshima. Hideki. Goda. Makoto. Akashi. Hideo. Inutsuka. Ayumu. 2010-05-11. Unique multipotent cells in adult human mesenchymal cell populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 107. 19. 8639–8643. 10.1073/pnas.0911647107. 1091-6490. 2889306. 20421459. free.
4. Byrne. James. A mini-review on stage-specific embryonic antigen 3 (SSEA-3). eJournal of Cellular Biotechnology . 1:eP3. 2022-02-16.