The molecular mimicry between ATM and the saccharide part of GM1 gives new perspectives on the therapeutic effect of this macrolide antibiotic and this warrants further exploration. Moreover, the fact that ganglioside GM1 is a molecular target for CLQ-OH might explain the indication of this drug in rheumatological disorders, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis [35,36]. Indeed, GM1 overexpression and anti-GM1 antibodies are a hallmark of these diseases [37,38]. Thus, our data incidentally indicate that the therapeutic effect of CLQ-OH in these cases could also be related to its ganglioside-binding properties.