Ceramide and ceramide 1-phosphate in health and disease.
Sphingolipids are essential components of cell membranes, and many of them regulate vital cell functions. In particular, ceramide plays crucial roles in cell signaling processes. Two major actions of ceramides are the promotion of cell cycle arrest and the induction of apoptosis. Phosphorylation of ceramide produces ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P), which has opposite effects to ceramide. C1P is mitogenic and has prosurvival properties. In addition, C1P is an important mediator of inflammatory responses, an action that takes place through stimulation of cytosolic phospholipase A2, and the subsequent release of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin formation. All of the former actions are thought to be mediated by intracellularly generated C1P. However, the recent observation that C1P stimulates macrophage chemotaxis implicates specific plasma membrane receptors that are coupled to Gi proteins. Hence, it can be concluded that C1P has dual actions in cells, as it can act as an intracellular second messenger to promote cell survival, or as an extracellular receptor agonist to stimulate cell migration.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), PO Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain.
Lide
L
Arana
Patricia
P
Gangoiti
Alberto
A
Ouro
Miguel
M
Trueba
Antonio
A
Gómez-Muñoz
D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002518:Ceramides / Q000378:metabolism*; D002633:Chemotaxis; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008934:Mitogens; D054510:Phospholipases A2, Cytosolic / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000378:metabolism
D002518:Ceramides; D008934:Mitogens; D011453:Prostaglandins; C065576:ceramide 1-phosphate; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D054510:Phospholipases A2, Cytosolic