title: The metabolism and function of sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids.
abstract: Sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids are emerging as major players in many facets of cell physiology and pathophysiology. We now present an overview of sphingolipid biochemistry and physiology, followed by a brief presentation of recent advances in translational research related to sphingolipids. In discussing sphingolipid biochemistry, we focus on the structure of sphingolipids, and their biosynthetic pathways--the recent identification of most of the enzymes in this pathway has led to significant advances and better characterization of a number of the biosynthetic steps, and the relationship between them. We then discuss some roles of sphingolipids in cell physiology, particularly those of ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate, and mention current views about how these lipids act in signal transduction pathways. We end with a discussion of sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids in the etiology and pathology of a number of diseases, such as cancer, immunity, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, diabetes, and sepsis, areas in which sphingolipids are beginning to take a central position, even though many of the details remain to be elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lahiri
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Futerman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D002518:Ceramides / Q000502:physiology; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism; D004646:Emphysema / Q000378:metabolism; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D018805:Sepsis / Q000378:metabolism; D013107:Sphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D013107:Sphingolipids; C065576:ceramide 1-phosphate