title: The roles of neutral sphingomyelinases in neurological pathologies.
abstract: The neutral sphingomyelinases (N-SMases) are a group of Mg²⁺-dependent enzymes with a pH optimum in the neutral range. N-SMases catalyze the conversion of sphingomyelin to ceramide and have been found particularly enriched in brain tissue. N-SMase activity has been implicated in many physiological and pathological processes affecting the brain and nervous system. In this review, we discuss the proposed functions of N-SMase with a particular emphasis on its role in neurological disorders, such as age-related neurodegeneration, Alzheimer's disease, HIV-associated dementia, atherosclerosis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Horres
authors.forename: Yusuf A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Hannun
mesh_terms: D020943:AIDS Arteritis, Central Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002518:Ceramides / Q000378:metabolism; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008274:Magnesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000209:etiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013107:Sphingolipids / Q000378:metabolism; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D013107:Sphingolipids; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase; D008274:Magnesium