title: Tools for the analysis of metabolic flux through the sphingolipid pathway.
abstract: Discerning the complex regulation of the enzymatic steps necessary for sphingolipid biosynthesis is facilitated by the utilization of tracers that allow a time-resolved analysis of the pathway dynamics without affecting the metabolic flux. Different strategies have been used and new tools are continuously being developed to probe the various enzymatic conversions that occur within this complex pathway. Here, we provide a short overview of the divergent fungal and mammalian sphingolipid biosynthetic routes, and of the tracers and methods that are frequently employed to follow the flux of intermediates throughout these pathways.
authors.affiliation: University of Fribourg, Department of Biology, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martínez-Montañés
authors.affiliation: University of Fribourg, Department of Biology, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland. Electronic address: roger.schneiter@unifr.ch.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schneiter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways; D057930:Click Chemistry / Q000379:methods; D005658:Fungi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D064688:Metabolic Flux Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013107:Sphingolipids / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D013107:Sphingolipids
keywords: Ceramide; Click-chemistry; Fluorescent sphingolipid; Fungal sphingolipids; Long-chain base; Mass spectrometry; Metabolic flux; Odd-chain tracer; Sphingolipids; Stable isotope