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Nature Reviews. Cancer Jan 2018Sphingolipids, including the two central bioactive lipids ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), have opposing roles in regulating cancer cell death and survival,... (Review)
Review
Sphingolipids, including the two central bioactive lipids ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), have opposing roles in regulating cancer cell death and survival, respectively, and there have been exciting developments in understanding how sphingolipid metabolism and signalling regulate these processes in response to anticancer therapy. Recent studies have provided mechanistic details of the roles of sphingolipids and their downstream targets in the regulation of tumour growth and response to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or immunotherapy using innovative molecular, genetic and pharmacological tools to target sphingolipid signalling nodes in cancer cells. For example, structure-function-based studies have provided innovative opportunities to develop mechanism-based anticancer therapeutic strategies to restore anti-proliferative ceramide signalling and/or inhibit pro-survival S1P-S1P receptor (S1PR) signalling. This Review summarizes how ceramide-induced cellular stress mediates cancer cell death through various mechanisms involving the induction of apoptosis, necroptosis and/or mitophagy. Moreover, the metabolism of ceramide for S1P biosynthesis, which is mediated by sphingosine kinase 1 and 2, and its role in influencing cancer cell growth, drug resistance and tumour metastasis through S1PR-dependent or receptor-independent signalling are highlighted. Finally, studies targeting enzymes involved in sphingolipid metabolism and/or signalling and their clinical implications for improving cancer therapeutics are also presented.
Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Ceramides; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Humans; Lysophospholipids; Neoplasms; Signal Transduction; Sphingolipids; Sphingosine
PubMed: 29147025
DOI: 10.1038/nrc.2017.96 -
Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology Mar 2018Studies of bioactive lipids in general and sphingolipids in particular have intensified over the past several years, revealing an unprecedented and unanticipated... (Review)
Review
Studies of bioactive lipids in general and sphingolipids in particular have intensified over the past several years, revealing an unprecedented and unanticipated complexity of the lipidome and its many functions, which rivals, if not exceeds, that of the genome or proteome. These results highlight critical roles for bioactive sphingolipids in most, if not all, major cell biological responses, including all major cell signalling pathways, and they link sphingolipid metabolism to key human diseases. Nevertheless, the fairly nascent field of bioactive sphingolipids still faces challenges in its biochemical and molecular underpinnings, including defining the molecular mechanisms of pathway and enzyme regulation, the study of lipid-protein interactions and the development of cellular probes, suitable biomarkers and therapeutic approaches.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Apoptosis; Autophagy; Biological Transport, Active; Cell Adhesion; Cell Compartmentation; Cell Movement; DNA Damage; Enzymes; Humans; Immune System; Inflammation; Lipid Metabolism; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Models, Biological; Neoplasms; Signal Transduction; Sphingolipids
PubMed: 29165427
DOI: 10.1038/nrm.2017.107 -
British Journal of Pharmacology Dec 2021Macrophage activation in response to stimulation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) provides a paradigm for investigating energy metabolism that regulates the inflammatory... (Review)
Review
Macrophage activation in response to stimulation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) provides a paradigm for investigating energy metabolism that regulates the inflammatory response. TLR4-mediated pro-inflammatory macrophage activation is characterized by increased glycolysis and altered mitochondrial metabolism, supported by selective amino acid uptake and/or usage. Fatty acid metabolism remains as a highly complex rewiring that accompanies classical macrophage activation. TLR4 activation leads to de novo synthesis of fatty acids, which flux into sphingolipids, complex lipids that form the building blocks of eukaryotic cell membranes and regulate cell function. Here, we review the importance of TLR4-mediated de novo synthesis of membrane sphingolipids in macrophages. We first highlight fatty acid metabolism during TLR4-driven macrophage immunometabolism. We then focus on the temporal dynamics of sphingolipid biosynthesis and emphasize the modulatory role of some sphingolipid species (i.e. sphingomyelins, ceramides and glycosphingolipids) on the pro-inflammatory and pro-resolution phases of LPS/TLR4 activation in macrophages.
Topics: Lipopolysaccharides; Macrophage Activation; Macrophages; Sphingolipids; Toll-Like Receptor 4
PubMed: 34363204
DOI: 10.1111/bph.15642 -
FEBS Letters Nov 2020
Topics: Animals; Cryptococcus neoformans; Gene Expression Regulation; Gene Regulatory Networks; Humans; Plants; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Signal Transduction; Sphingolipids
PubMed: 33241880
DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13979 -
Cell Metabolism Jul 2021The bioactive sphingolipid metabolites ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are a recent addition to the lipids accumulated in obesity and have emerged as... (Review)
Review
The bioactive sphingolipid metabolites ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are a recent addition to the lipids accumulated in obesity and have emerged as important molecular players in metabolic diseases. Here we summarize evidence that dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism correlates with pathogenesis of metabolic diseases in humans. This review discusses the current understanding of how ceramide regulates signaling and metabolic pathways to exacerbate metabolic diseases and the Janus faces for its further metabolite S1P, the kinases that produce it, and the multifaceted and at times opposing actions of S1P receptors in various tissues. Gaps and limitations in current knowledge are highlighted together with the need to further decipher the full array of their actions in tissue dysfunction underlying metabolic pathologies, pointing out prospects to move this young field of research toward the development of effective therapeutics.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Lipid Metabolism; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Obesity; Sphingolipids
PubMed: 34233172
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.06.006 -
Cell Host & Microbe Jun 2022Microbially-derived gut metabolites are important contributors to host phenotypes, many of which may link microbiome composition to metabolic disease. However,...
Microbially-derived gut metabolites are important contributors to host phenotypes, many of which may link microbiome composition to metabolic disease. However, relatively few metabolites with known bioactivity have been traced from specific microbes to host tissues. Here, we use a labeling strategy to characterize and trace bacterial sphingolipids from the gut symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron to mouse colons and livers. We find that bacterial sphingolipid synthesis rescues excess lipid accumulation in a mouse model of hepatic steatosis and observe the transit of a previously uncharacterized bacterial sphingolipid to the liver. The addition of this sphingolipid to hepatocytes improves respiration in response to fatty-acid overload, suggesting that sphingolipid transfer to the liver could potentially contribute to microbiota-mediated liver function. This work establishes a role for bacterial sphingolipids in modulating hepatic phenotypes and defines a workflow that permits the characterization of other microbial metabolites with undefined functions in host health.
Topics: Animals; Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Liver; Mice; Microbiota; Sphingolipids
PubMed: 35623356
DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.05.002 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2010Sphingolipids constitute a class of lipids defined by their eighteen carbon amino-alcohol backbones which are synthesized in the ER from nonsphingolipid precursors.... (Review)
Review
Sphingolipids constitute a class of lipids defined by their eighteen carbon amino-alcohol backbones which are synthesized in the ER from nonsphingolipid precursors. Modification of this basic structure is what gives rise to the vast family of sphingolipids that play significant roles in membrane biology and provide many bioactive metabolites that regulate cell function. Despite the diversity of structure and function of sphingolipids, their creation and destruction are governed by common synthetic and catabolic pathways. In this regard, sphingolipid metabolism can be imagined as an array of interconnected networks that diverge from a single common entry point and converge into a single common breakdown pathway. In their simplest forms, sphingosine, phytosphingosine and dihydrosphingosine serve as the backbones upon which further complexity is achieved. For example, phosphorylation of the C1 hydroxyl group yields the final breakdown products and/or the important signaling molecules sphingosine-1-phosphate, phytosphingosine-1-phosphate and dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate, respectively. On the other hand, acylation of sphingosine, phytosphingosine, or dihydrosphingosine with one of several possible acyl CoA molecules through the action of distinct ceramide synthases produces the molecules defined as ceramide, phytoceramide, or dihydroceramide. Ceramide, due to the differing acyl CoAs that can be used to produce it, is technically a class of molecules rather than a single molecule and therefore may have different biological functions depending on the acyl chain it is composed of. At the apex of complexity is the group of lipids known as glycosphingolipids (GSL) which contain dozens of different sphingolipid species differing by both the order and type of sugar residues attached to their headgroups. Since these molecules are produced from ceramide precursors, they too may have differences in their acyl chain composition, revealing an additional layer of variation. The glycosphingolipids are divided broadly into two categories: glucosphingolipids and galactosphingolipids. The glucosphingolipids depend initially on the enzyme glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) which attaches glucose as the first residue to the C1 hydroxyl position. Galactosphingolipids, on the other hand, are generated from galactosylceramide synthase (GalCerS), an evolutionarily dissimilar enzyme from GCS. Glycosphingolipids are further divided based upon further modification by various glycosyltransferases which increases the potential variation in lipid species by several fold. Far more abundant are the sphingomyelin species which are produced in parallel with glycosphingolipids, however they are defined by a phosphocholine headgroup rather than the addition of sugar residues. Although sphingomyelin species all share a common headgroup, they too are produced from a variety of ceramide species and therefore can have differing acyl chains attached to their C-2 amino groups. Whether or not the differing acyl chain lengths in SMs dictate unique functions or important biophysical distinctions has not yet been established. Understanding the function of all the existing glycosphingolipids and sphingomyelin species will be a major undertaking in the future since the tools to study and measure these species are only beginning to be developed (see Fig 1 for an illustrated depiction of the various sphingolipid structures). The simple sphingolipids serve both as the precursors and the breakdown products of the more complex ones. Importantly, in recent decades, these simple sphingolipids have gained attention for having significant signaling and regulatory roles within cells. In addition, many tools have emerged to measure the levels of simple sphingolipids and therefore have become the focus of even more intense study in recent years. With this thought in mind, this chapter will pay tribute to the complex sphingolipids, but focus on the regulation of simple sphingolipid metabolism.
Topics: Animals; Biological Transport, Active; Ceramides; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Golgi Apparatus; Humans; Molecular Structure; Sphingolipids; Sphingomyelins
PubMed: 20919643
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-6741-1_1 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Mar 2020Sphingolipid biosynthesis generates lipids for membranes and signaling that are crucial for many developmental and physiological processes. In some cases, large amounts...
Sphingolipid biosynthesis generates lipids for membranes and signaling that are crucial for many developmental and physiological processes. In some cases, large amounts of specific sphingolipids must be synthesized for specialized physiological functions, such as during axon myelination. How sphingolipid synthesis is regulated to fulfill these physiological requirements is not known. To identify genes that positively regulate membrane sphingolipid levels, here we employed a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 loss-of-function screen in HeLa cells using selection for resistance to Shiga toxin, which uses a plasma membrane-associated glycosphingolipid, globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), for its uptake. The screen identified several genes in the sphingolipid biosynthetic pathway that are required for Gb3 synthesis, and it also identified the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor widely involved in development and physiology, as being required for Gb3 biosynthesis. AHR bound and activated the gene promoter of serine palmitoyltransferase small subunit A (), which encodes a subunit of the serine palmitoyltransferase that catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step in sphingolipid biosynthesis. knockout HeLa cells exhibited significantly reduced levels of cell-surface Gb3, and both knockout HeLa cells and tissues from knockout mice displayed decreased sphingolipid content as well as significantly reduced expression of several key genes in the sphingolipid biosynthetic pathway. The sciatic nerve of knockout mice exhibited both reduced ceramide content and reduced myelin thickness. These results indicate that AHR up-regulates sphingolipid levels and is important for full axon myelination, which requires elevated levels of membrane sphingolipids.
Topics: Animals; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors; CRISPR-Cas Systems; Disease Resistance; Gene Expression Regulation; Gene Knockout Techniques; Genome, Human; Globosides; HeLa Cells; Humans; Lipid Metabolism; Lipids; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; Serine C-Palmitoyltransferase; Shiga Toxin; Signal Transduction; Sphingolipids; Trihexosylceramides
PubMed: 32029474
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.AC119.011170 -
The Journal of Clinical Investigation May 2023Neural differentiation, synaptic transmission, and action potential propagation depend on membrane sphingolipids, whose metabolism is tightly regulated. Mutations in the...
Neural differentiation, synaptic transmission, and action potential propagation depend on membrane sphingolipids, whose metabolism is tightly regulated. Mutations in the ceramide transporter CERT (CERT1), which is involved in sphingolipid biosynthesis, are associated with intellectual disability, but the pathogenic mechanism remains obscure. Here, we characterize 31 individuals with de novo missense variants in CERT1. Several variants fall into a previously uncharacterized dimeric helical domain that enables CERT homeostatic inactivation, without which sphingolipid production goes unchecked. The clinical severity reflects the degree to which CERT autoregulation is disrupted, and inhibiting CERT pharmacologically corrects morphological and motor abnormalities in a Drosophila model of the disease, which we call ceramide transporter (CerTra) syndrome. These findings uncover a central role for CERT autoregulation in the control of sphingolipid biosynthetic flux, provide unexpected insight into the structural organization of CERT, and suggest a possible therapeutic approach for patients with CerTra syndrome.
Topics: Humans; Ceramides; Homeostasis; Mutation; Sphingolipids
PubMed: 36976648
DOI: 10.1172/JCI165019 -
FEBS Letters Nov 2020Plasma membrane carries out multiple physiological functions that require its dynamic and tightly regulated organization into specialized domains of different size,... (Review)
Review
Plasma membrane carries out multiple physiological functions that require its dynamic and tightly regulated organization into specialized domains of different size, stability, and lipid/protein composition. Sphingolipids are a group of lipids in which the plasma membrane is particularly enriched, thus being crucial for its structure and function. A specific type of sphingolipid-enriched plasma membrane domains, where ergosterol is depleted and lipids are tightly packed in a rigid gel phase, has recently been found in several fungal species, including yeasts and moulds. After presenting the main biophysical features of gel domains and the experimental method for their detection in the fungal plasma membrane, we review these sphingolipid-enriched gel domains and illustrate their importance to both unicellular and multicellular fungi. First, the biophysical properties of the fungal sphingolipid-enriched domains will be analysed taking into consideration the plasma membrane sphingolipidome. Next, their possible biological roles will be summarized, including their relations with plasma membrane compartments and involvement in stress responses. Moreover, since the plasma membrane is a target for several antifungal compounds, a biophysical connection between sphingolipid-enriched domains and antifungal action will be explored.
Topics: Carbohydrate Sequence; Cell Membrane; Fungi; Sphingolipids
PubMed: 33141925
DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13986