Ceramide synthases in biomedical research

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• 作者：Francesca Cingolani^a ; Anthony H. Futerman^b ; Josefina Casas^a ; ^{fina.casas@iqac.csic.es" class="auth_mail" title="E-mail the corresponding author}
• 关键词：Cer ; ceramides ; Cer ; Sceramide synthases ; 1-deoxydhSo ; 1-deoxydihydrosphingosine ; dhCer ; dihydroceramide ; dhSo ; dihydrosphingosine ; dhSo1P ; dihydrosphigosine-1-phosphate ; ER ; endoplasmic reticulum ; FB1 ; Fumonisin B1 ; SLs ; sphingolipids ; So ; sphingosine ; S1P ; sphingosine-1-phosphate
• 刊名：Chemistry and Physics of Lipids
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：May 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：197
• 期：Complete
• 页码：25-32
• 全文大小：1115 K

文摘

Sphingolipid metabolism consists of multiple metabolic pathways that converge upon ceramide, one of the key molecules among sphingolipids (SLs). In mammals, ceramide synthesis occurs via N-acylation of sphingoid backbones, dihydrosphingosine (dhSo) or sphingosine (So). The reaction is catalyzed by ceramide synthases (CerS), a family of enzymes with six different isoforms, with each one showing specificity towards a restricted group of acyl-CoAs, thus producing ceramides (Cer) and dihydroceramides (dhCer) with different fatty acid chain lengths. A large body of evidence documents the role of both So and dhSo as bioactive molecules, as well as the involvement of dhCer and Cer in physiological and pathological processes. In particular, the fatty acid composition of Cer has different effects in cell biology and in the onset and progression of different diseases. Therefore, modulation of CerS activity represents an attractive target in biomedical research and in finding new treatment modalities. In this review, we discuss functional, structural and biochemical features of CerS and examine CerS inhibitors that are currently available.