title: Ceramide-enriched membrane domains--structure and function.
abstract: Membrane lipids seem to be organized and not randomly distributed in the cell membrane. In particular, sphingolipids seem to interact with cholesterol in the outer leaflet of the cell membrane resulting in the formation of distinct membrane domains, i.e. rafts. The generation of ceramide within rafts alters their biophysical properties and results in the formation of large ceramide-enriched membrane platforms. These platforms serve to cluster receptor molecules and to organize intracellular signalling molecules to facilitate signal transduction via a receptor upon stimulation. Thus, ceramide-enriched membrane domains amplify not only receptor-, but also stress-mediated signalling events. Although many receptors cluster, the molecular mechanisms mediating this important and general event in signal transduction need to be identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Katrin Anne
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gulbins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002518:Ceramides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015394:Molecular Structure; D021381:Protein Transport; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D019014:fas Receptor