Sphingolipids related to apoptosis from the point of view of membrane structure and topology

2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 819-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. van Blitterswijk ◽  
A. H. van der Luit ◽  
W. Caan ◽  
M. Verheij ◽  
J. Borst

Sphingolipids and their metabolites are implicated in signal transduction, but the mechanisms are still poorly understood. In particular, the presumed function of ceramide as a second messenger remains controversial. Here, we emphasize the importance of both ceramide and sphingomyelin for membrane structure. The effects of sphingo-lipid turnover in the induction and effector phases of apoptosis are explained by their impact on membrane microdomains that are relevant for cell signalling or changes in morphology. The topology of sphingolipid metabolism is important because of their limited transbilayer and inter-membrane movement. For instance, glycosylceramide synthase converts de novo synthesized ceramide to glycosylceramide, but it is neither a general attenuator of ceramide accumulation at the plasma membrane, nor of the apoptotic process. Synthetic alkyl-lysophospholipids modulate membrane-lipid composition and, therefore, apoptosis sensitivity.

2002 ◽  
Vol 158 (6) ◽  
pp. 1039-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hervé Le Stunff ◽  
Ismael Galve-Roperh ◽  
Courtney Peterson ◽  
Sheldon Milstien ◽  
Sarah Spiegel

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid metabolite that regulates diverse biological processes by binding to a family of G protein–coupled receptors or as an intracellular second messenger. Mammalian S1P phosphatase (SPP-1), which degrades S1P to terminate its actions, was recently cloned based on homology to a lipid phosphohydrolase that regulates the levels of phosphorylated sphingoid bases in yeast. Confocal microscopy surprisingly revealed that epitope-tagged SPP-1 is intracellular and colocalized with the ER marker calnexin. Moreover, SPP-1 activity and protein appeared to be mainly enriched in the intracellular membranes with lower expression in the plasma membrane. Treatment of SPP-1 transfectants with S1P markedly increased ceramide levels, predominantly in the intracellular membranes, diminished survival, and enhanced apoptosis. Remarkably, dihydro-S1P, although a good substrate for SPP-1 in situ, did not cause significant ceramide accumulation or increase apoptosis. Ceramide accumulation induced by S1P was completely blocked by fumonisin B1, an inhibitor of ceramide synthase, but only partially reduced by myriocin, an inhibitor of serine palmitoyltransferase, the first committed step in de novo synthesis of ceramide. Furthermore, S1P, but not dihydro-S1P, stimulated incorporation of [3H]palmitate, a substrate for both serine palmitoyltransferase and ceramide synthase, into C16-ceramide. Collectively, our results suggest that SPP-1 functions in an unprecedented manner to regulate sphingolipid biosynthesis and is poised to influence cell fate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Kolar ◽  
Xiaohai Shi ◽  
Emily Clay ◽  
Ann Moser ◽  
Bachchu Lal ◽  
...  

Gliomas are the largest category of primary malignant brain tumors in adults, and glioblastomas account for nearly half of malignant gliomas. Glioblastomas are notoriously aggressive and drug-resistant, with a very poor 5 year survival rate of about 5%. New approaches to treatment are thus urgently needed. We previously identified an enzyme of fatty acid metabolism, very long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 3 (ACSVL3), as a potential therapeutic target in glioblastoma. Using the glioblastoma cell line U87MG, we created a cell line with genomic deletion of ACSVL3 (U87-KO) and investigated potential mechanisms to explain how this enzyme supports the malignant properties of glioblastoma cells. Compared to U87MG cells, U87-KO cells grew slower and assumed a more normal morphology. They produced fewer, and far smaller, subcutaneous xenografts in nude mice. Acyl-CoA synthetases, including ACSVL3, convert fatty acids to their acyl-CoA derivatives, allowing participation in diverse downstream lipid pathways. We examined the effect of ACSVL3 depletion on several such pathways. Fatty acid degradation for energy production was not affected in U87-KO cells. Fatty acid synthesis, and incorporation of de novo synthesized fatty acids into membrane phospholipids needed for rapid tumor cell growth, was not significantly affected by lack of ACSVL3. In contrast, U87-KO cells exhibited evidence of altered sphingolipid metabolism. Levels of ceramides containing 18-22 carbon fatty acids were significantly lower in U87-KO cells. This paralleled the fatty acid substrate specificity profile of ACSVL3. The rate of incorporation of stearate, an 18-carbon saturated fatty acid, into ceramides was reduced in U87-KO cells, and proteomics revealed lower abundance of ceramide synthesis pathway enzymes. Sphingolipids, including gangliosides, are functional constituents of lipid rafts, membrane microdomains thought to be organizing centers for receptor-mediated signaling. Both raft morphology and ganglioside composition were altered by deficiency of ACSVL3. Finally, levels of sphingosine-1-phosphate, a sphingolipid signaling molecule, were reduced in U87-KO cells. We conclude that ACSVL3 supports the malignant behavior of U87MG cells, at least in part, by altering cellular sphingolipid metabolism.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8s1 ◽  
pp. LPI.S31780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike F. Renne ◽  
Xue Bao ◽  
Cedric H. De Smet ◽  
Anton I. P. M. De Kroon

Membrane lipid homeostasis is maintained by de novo synthesis, intracellular transport, remodeling, and degradation of lipid molecules. Glycerophospholipids, the most abundant structural component of eukaryotic membranes, are subject to acyl chain remodeling, which is defined as the post-synthetic process in which one or both acyl chains are exchanged. Here, we review studies addressing acyl chain remodeling of membrane glycerophospholipids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a model organism that has been successfully used to investigate lipid synthesis and its regulation. Experimental evidence for the occurrence of phospholipid acyl chain exchange in cardiolipin, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine is summarized, including methods and tools that have been used for detecting remodeling. Progress in the identification of the enzymes involved is reported, and putative functions of acyl chain remodeling in yeast are discussed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus O. W. Grimm ◽  
Sven Grösgen ◽  
Tatjana L. Rothhaar ◽  
Verena K. Burg ◽  
Benjamin Hundsdörfer ◽  
...  

Lipids play an important role as risk or protective factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a disease biochemically characterized by the accumulation of amyloid beta peptides (Aβ), released by proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Changes in sphingolipid metabolism have been associated to the development of AD. The key enzyme in sphingolipidde novosynthesis is serine-palmitoyl-CoA transferase (SPT). In the present study we identified a new physiological function of APP in sphingolipid synthesis. The APP intracellular domain (AICD) was found to decrease the expression of the SPT subunit SPTLC2, the catalytic subunit of the SPT heterodimer, resulting in that decreased SPT activity. AICD function was dependent on Fe65 and SPTLC2 levels are increased in APP knock-in mice missing a functional AICD domain. SPTLC2 levels are also increased in familial and sporadic ADpostmortembrains, suggesting that SPT is involved in AD pathology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (13) ◽  
pp. 2543-2559
Author(s):  
Janka Widzgowski ◽  
Alexander Vogel ◽  
Lena Altrogge ◽  
Julia Pfaff ◽  
Heiko Schoof ◽  
...  

Algae have evolved several mechanisms to adjust to changing environmental conditions. To separate from their surroundings, algal cell membranes form a hydrophobic barrier that is critical for life. Thus, it is important to maintain or adjust the physical and biochemical properties of cell membranes which are exposed to environmental factors. Especially glycerolipids of thylakoid membranes, the site of photosynthesis and photoprotection within chloroplasts, are affected by different light conditions. Since little is known about membrane lipid remodeling upon different light treatments, we examined light induced alterations in the glycerolipid composition of the two Chlorella species, C. vulgaris and C. sorokiniana, which differ strongly in their ability to cope with different light intensities. Lipidomic analysis and isotopic labeling experiments revealed differences in the composition of their galactolipid species, although both species likely utilize galactolipid precursors originated from the endoplasmic reticulum. However, in silico research of de novo sequenced genomes and ortholog mapping of proteins putatively involved in lipid metabolism showed largely conserved lipid biosynthesis pathways suggesting species specific lipid remodeling mechanisms, which possibly have an impact on the response to different light conditions.


2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 831-835 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Linn ◽  
H. S. Kim ◽  
E. M. Keane ◽  
L. M. Andras ◽  
E. Wang ◽  
...  

Complex sphingolipids are ‘built’ on highly bio-active backbones (sphingoid bases and ceramides) that can cause cell death when the amounts are elevated by turnover of complex sphingolipids, disruption of normal sphingolipid metabolism, or over-induction of sphingolipid biosynthesis de novo. Under normal conditions, it appears that the bioactive intermediates of this pathway (3-keto-sphinganine, sphinganine and ceramides) are kept at relatively low levels. Both the intrinsic activity of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) and the availability of its substrates (especially palmitoyl-CoA) can have toxic consequences for cells by increasing the production of cytotoxic intermediates. Recent work has also revealed that diverse agonists and stresses (cytokines, UV light, glucocorticoids, heat shock and toxic compounds) modulate SPT activity by induction of SPTLC2 gene transcription and/or post-translational modification. Mutation of the SPTLC1 component of SPT has also been shown to cause hereditary sensory neuropathy type I, possibly via aberrant oversynthesis of sphingolipids. Another key step of the pathway is the acylation of sphinganine (and sphingosine in the recycling pathway) by ceramide synthase, and up-regulation of this enzyme (or its inhibition to cause accumulation of sphinganine) can also be toxic for cells. Since it appears that most, if not all, tissues synthesize sphingolipids de novo, it may not be surprising that disruption of this pathway has been implicated in a wide spectrum of disease.


Metabolites ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 473
Author(s):  
Yue Hei Leung ◽  
Sonja Christiane Bäßler ◽  
Christian Koch ◽  
Theresa Scheu ◽  
Ulrich Meyer ◽  
...  

Sphingolipids are bioactive lipids that can modulate insulin sensitivity, cellular differentiation, and apoptosis in a tissue-specific manner. However, their comparative profiles in bovine retroperitoneal (RPAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT) are currently unknown. We aimed to characterize the sphingolipid profiles using a targeted lipidomics approach and to assess whether potentially related sphingolipid pathways are different between SCAT and RPAT. Holstein bulls (n = 6) were slaughtered, and SCAT and RPAT samples were collected for sphingolipid profiling. A total of 70 sphingolipid species were detected and quantified by UPLC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, including ceramide (Cer), dihydroceramide (DHCer), sphingomyelin (SM), dihydrosphingomyelin (DHSM), ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), galactosylceramide (GalCer), glucosylceramide (GluCer), lactosylceramide (LacCer), sphinganine (DHSph), and sphingosine (Sph). Our results showed that sphingolipids of the de novo synthesis pathway, such as DHSph, DHCer, and Cer, were more concentrated in RPAT than in SCAT. Sphingolipids of the salvage pathway and the sphingomyelinase pathway, such as Sph, S1P, C1P, glycosphingolipid, and SM, were more concentrated in SCAT. Our results indicate that RPAT had a greater extent of ceramide accumulation, thereby increasing the concentration of further sphingolipid intermediates in the de novo synthesis pathway. This distinctive sphingolipid distribution pattern in RPAT and SCAT can potentially explain the tissue-specific activity in insulin sensitivity, proinflammation, and oxidative stress in RPAT and SCAT.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 4008
Author(s):  
Valentina Vozella ◽  
Natalia Realini ◽  
Alessandra Misto ◽  
Daniele Piomelli

Previous studies have shown that the sphingolipid-derived mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) reduces food intake by activating G protein-coupled S1P receptor-1 (S1PR1) in the hypothalamus. Here, we examined whether feeding regulates hypothalamic mobilization of S1P and other sphingolipid-derived messengers. We prepared lipid extracts from the hypothalamus of C57Bl6/J male mice subjected to one of four conditions: free feeding, 12 h fasting, and 1 h or 6 h refeeding. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry was used to quantify various sphingolipid species, including sphinganine (SA), sphingosine (SO), and their bioactive derivatives SA-1-phosphate (SA1P) and S1P. In parallel experiments, transcription of S1PR1 (encoded in mice by the S1pr1 gene) and of key genes of sphingolipid metabolism (Sptlc2, Lass1, Sphk1, Sphk2) was measured by RT-PCR. Feeding increased levels of S1P (in pmol-mg−1 of wet tissue) and SA1P. This response was accompanied by parallel changes in SA and dihydroceramide (d18:0/18:0), and was partially (SA1P) or completely (S1P) reversed by fasting. No such effects were observed with other sphingolipid species targeted by our analysis. Feeding also increased transcription of Sptlc2, Lass1, Sphk2, and S1pr1. Feeding stimulates mobilization of endogenous S1PR1 agonists S1P and SA1P in mouse hypothalamus, via a mechanism that involves transcriptional up-regulation of de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis. The results support a role for sphingolipid-mediated signaling in the central control of energy balance.


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