Title:Recent Advances in the Study of Glycosphingolipids
Volume: 13
Issue: 14
Author(s): Tadashi Yamashita
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Glycosphingolipids, embryonic lethality, development, neuronal function, mammalian cell plasma, cell signaling, phingolipids, sphingomyelin, GPI-anchored proteins, gene expression, gene-manipulated mice, biological functions, eukaryotic cells, nervous system
Abstract: Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are present in all mammalian cell plasma membranes and intracellular membrane
structures. They are especially concentrated in plasma membrane lipid domains that are specialized for cell signaling.
Plasma membranes show typical structures called rafts and caveola domain structures, with large amounts of
sphingolipids, cholesterol, and sphingomyelin in the cell membranes. Plasma membranes have two faces, many kinds of
receptors for intercellular signal transducers such as GPI-anchored proteins on the exoplasmic faces of the rafts/caveolae
and src family kinases on the cytosolic face. Thus they play a role in transmembrane signal transduction, following the
phosphorylation of some substrates and gene expression. On the other hand, their functions have become clear through the
study of gene-manipulated mice. For further advances, a visual method to display diversity of biological functions is necessary.
For this purpose, the use of high-performance microscopes and live cell imaging technologies are useful for more
detailed understanding.
