title: Sphingomyelinase metabolites control survival and apoptotic death in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.
abstract: There is increasing evidence that sphingolipids are involved in cell survival, differentiation or commitment to death. The effect of different sphingolipids and inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell death has been studied. Permeant ceramide analogues C2-Cer, C8-Cer, and C8-Cer-1-phosphate, but not dihydro C2-Cer induce apoptosis, as shown by Hoechst staining. Inhibition of ceramidase and sphingosine kinase, as well as incubation with sphingosine, decreases cell viability, measured as 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide reduction, whereas addition of sphingosine-1-phosphate increases proliferation. Both PD98059 (MAPKK inhibitor) and SB202190 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) decreased viability, but only SB202190 abolished the effect of ceramide. These results suggest that in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, death is signalled by increases in ceramide, ceramide-phosphate or sphingosine content through p38 MAPK pathway while survival requires MAPK and high sphingosine-1-phosphate/ceramide ratio.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Pisa, via S. Zeno 31, 56127, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tavarini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colombaioni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcia-Gil
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D009447:Neuroblastoma; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D005419:Flavonoids; C064769:N-acetylsphingosine; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase; D013110:Sphingosine; C093973:2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one