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Generation of Signaling Molecules by De Novo Sphingolipid Synthesis

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Sphingolipid Biology

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Summary

Sphingolipids are abundant components of cellular membranes in eukaryotic cells as well as potent signaling molecules. De novo sphingolipid biosynthesis begins with condensation of L-serine and palmitoyl-CoA, generating sphingoid bases, ceramide, and other species through a series of reactions. Ceramide can also be formed from free sphingoid bases, which has been termed the’ salvage’ pathway. Sphingolipids from both the de novo and salvage pathways increase with exposure of yeast or mammals to various stimuli such as Fas ligands, chemotherapeutic drugs, tumor necrosis factor-γ and heat stress, and then act as lipid second messengers mediating inflammatory responses, senescence, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis or stress responses. Therefore, generation of signaling molecules by de novo synthesis and/or salvage accounts not only for homeostasis, but also for several disorders resulting from aberrant sphingolipid accumulation or depletion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, USA

    Kazuyuki Kitatani, L. Ashley Cowart & Yusuf A. Hannun

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  1. Kazuyuki Kitatani
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  2. L. Ashley Cowart
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  3. Yusuf A. Hannun
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Brain Science Institute, The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken), 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan

    Yoshio Hirabayashi

  2. Department of Biomembrane and Biofunctional Chemistry, Faculty of Advanced Life Science and Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 12, Nishi 6, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0812, Japan

    Yasuyuki Igarashi

  3. School of Biology and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Alfred H. Merrill Jr.

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Kitatani, K., Cowart, L.A., Hannun, Y.A. (2006). Generation of Signaling Molecules by De Novo Sphingolipid Synthesis. In: Hirabayashi, Y., Igarashi, Y., Merrill, A.H. (eds) Sphingolipid Biology. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/4-431-34200-1_11

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