title: Sphingolipids involved in the induction of multinuclear cell formation.
abstract: In this review, we focus on sphingolipids as potential regulators of the induction of multinuclear cell formation through the inhibition of cytokinesis. A sphingolipid, psychosine (Psy) (galactosylsphingosine), was demonstrated to be a trigger lipid for the inhibition of cytokinesis and the induction of multinuclear giant cells associated with a sphingolipid metabolic disease, globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD). Indeed, Psy is known to accumulate in the patients' brains. Interestingly, inhibition of sphingolipid biosynthesis also induced multinuclear cells. When cells were treated with a new immunosuppressant, ISP-1/myriocin, which inhibits serine palmitoyltransferase, the first step enzyme of sphingolipid biosynthesis, the cells underwent multinucleation and apoptosis. At present, a definitive model of the function of sphingolipids as to the induction of multinuclear cell formation is not available due to the rudimentary information but possible mechanisms are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. yasu@pharm.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kozutsumi
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Yidi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaji
authors.forename: Harumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hiromu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takematsu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D007965:Leukodystrophy, Globoid Cell / Q000503:physiopathology; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013107:Sphingolipids / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D013107:Sphingolipids