Sphingolipids involved in the induction of multinuclear cell formation.
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.
Kozutsumi
Yasunori
Y
Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. yasu@pharm.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Kanazawa
Takayuki
T
Sun
Yidi
Y
Yamaji
Toshiyuki
T
Yamamoto
Harumi
H
Takematsu
Hiromu
H
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*
D013107:Sphingolipids