Sphingolipids as Signaling and Regulatory Molecules

Sphingolipid Signaling in Fungal Pathogens

Abstract Sphingolipid involvement in infectious disease is a new and exciting branch of research. Various microbial pathogens have been shown to synthesize their own sphingolipids and some have evolved methods to "hijack" host sphingolipids for their own use. For instance, Sphingomonas species are bacterial pathogens that lack the lipopolysaccharide component typical but instead contain glycosphingolipids […]

Sphingolipids in Parasitic Protozoa

Abstract The surface of most protozoan parasites relies heavily upon lipid-anchored molecules, to form protective barriers and play critical functions required for infectivity. Sphingolipids (SLs) play important roles through their abundance and involvement in membrane microdomain formation, as well as serving as the lipid anchor for many of these molecules and in some but possibly […]

Biosynthesis of Sphingolipids in Plants (and Some of Their Functions) Part 1

Abstract Our knowledge of plant sphingolipid metabolism and function has significantly increased over the past years. This applies mainly to the identification and the functional characterization of genes and enzymes involved in sphingolipid biosynthesis. In addition a number of plant mutants have provided new insights into sphingolipid functions. Very little is still known about intracellular […]

Biosynthesis of Sphingolipids in Plants (and Some of Their Functions) Part 2

Sphingolipid- A4(E)-Desaturase An Arabidopsis candidate gene for a plant sphingolipid-A4(E)-desaturase has been identified in 2002 by Ternes et al51 using sequence comparisons (At4g04930). Until recently all attempts by him and others to functionally express the orthologs of tomato and Arabidopsis in a baker’s yeast sur2 knockout strain failed. Finally, the function of this intractable gene […]

Computational Analysis of Sphingolipid Pathway Systems Part 1

Abstract Sphingolipid metabolism constitutes a complex pathway system that includes biosynthesis of different types of sphingosines and ceramides, the formation and recycling of complex sphingolipids and the supply of materials for remodeling. Many of the metabolites have several roles, for instance, as substrates and as modulators of reactions in other parts of the system. The […]

Computational Analysis of Sphingolipid Pathway Systems Part 2

Sphingolipid Models and Their Potential Uses Over a span of several years, we have been developing a series of increasingly more sophisticated models of sphingolipid metabolism.13,14,24,25 The models were formulated as systems of nonlinear ordinary differential equations in the format of power-law functions, as suggested in BST.18 Choosing this framework, it was straightforward to set […]

Introduction to Tools and Techniques for Ceramide-Centered Research (Sphingolipids)

Abstract Sphingolipids are important components of eukaryotic cells, many of which function as bioactive signaling molecules.1-3 As thoroughly discussed elsewhere in this volume, ceramide, central metabolite of the sphingolipid pathway, plays key roles in a variety of cellular responses. Since the discovery of the bioactive function of ceramide,4 a growing number of tools and techniques […]

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