title: Sphingolipids and mitochondrial function, lessons learned from yeast.
abstract: Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, but also of cancer, diabetes and rare diseases such as Wilson's disease (WD) and Niemann Pick type C1 (NPC). Mitochondrial dysfunction underlying human pathologies has often been associated with an aberrant cellular sphingolipid metabolism. Sphingolipids (SLs) are important membrane constituents that also act as signaling molecules. The yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaehas been pivotal in unraveling mammalian SL metabolism, mainly due to the high degree of conservation of SL metabolic pathways. In this review we will first provide a brief overview of the major differences in SL metabolism between yeast and mammalian cells and the use of SL biosynthetic inhibitors to elucidate the contribution of specific parts of the SL metabolic pathway in response to for instance stress. Next, we will discuss recent findings in yeast SL research concerning a crucial signaling role for SLs in orchestrating mitochondrial function, and translate these findings to relevant disease settings such as WD and NPC. In summary, recent research shows thatS. cerevisiaeis an invaluable model to investigate SLs as signaling molecules in modulating mitochondrial function, but can also be used as a tool to further enhance our current knowledge on SLs and mitochondria in mammalian cells.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics (CMPG), KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spincemaille
authors.affiliation: Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics (CMPG), KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium. ; Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bruno P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Cammue
authors.affiliation: Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics (CMPG), KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thevissen
keywords: Niemann Pick type C1; Wilson disease; mitochondrial function; sphingolipids; yeast