BookJohnny Stiban, editor.
Summary: This book is about the various roles of bioactive ceramides and other sphingolipids in cellular biology. The enigmatic biophysical and biochemical properties of ceramides and their propensity to influence membranes whether as rafts or protein-permeable channels are heavily discussed. Metabolism of ceramides and their metabolites is also focused with ceramide synthase family of proteins being a target of extensive review. Ceramide 1-phosphate and other sphingolipids are also presented in cellular physiology and pathophysiology. Prokaryotic origins of mitochondria at the level of membranes and the occurrence of apoptosis in bacteria are presented. Many aspects of ceramide and sphingolipid biology are addressed in this book. Its focus is the metabolism of ceramide in normal and diseased states and the biophysical and biochemical mechanisms governing the bioactivity of these molecules. Sphingolipid research has surged over the past thirty years and this book gathers the recent findings of various aspects of sphingolipid biochemistry. World-renowned scientists from the field of lipid biology, specifically sphingolipid biochemistry, were gathered to write this book. Scholars from most continents of the globe committed to write diligently about their expertise and the newest findings in the relevant fields. This book came to fruition after almost a year and a half of laborious preparation and diligent writings. This book is targeted to the experienced reader who is looking to read about the various aspects of bioactive ceramide signaling, as well as to the newcomer into the field, as the topics are explained in concise yet very informative manner. The authors and editor wish all readers a pleasant time reading this volume, and are adamant that this book will meet all expectations.
Contents:
Intro; Preface; Contents; About the Editor;
1: Introduction: Enigmas of Sphingolipids; References;
2: Prokaryotic and Mitochondrial Lipids: A Survey of Evolutionary Origins; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Bacterial and Mitochondrial Membranes; 2.3 Bacterial Lipids; 2.3.1 Environmental Factors; 2.3.1.1 Pressure; 2.3.1.2 Temperature; 2.3.1.3 Hypersalinity; 2.3.1.4 pH; 2.3.2 The Gram-Negative Outer Membrane; 2.3.3 Common, and Uncommon, Lipids in Bacteria; 2.3.3.1 Hopanoids and Sterols; 2.3.3.2 Sphingolipids and Lipid Rafts; 2.3.3.3 Ladderanes; 2.4 Lipids in Mitochondria 2.4.1 Mitochondrial Cholesterol and Other Sterols2.4.2 Mitochondrial Sphingolipids; 2.5 Programmed Cell Death; 2.5.1 Mitochondria and Apoptosis; 2.5.2 Bacterial Apoptosis; 2.6 Conclusions and Future Directions; References;
3: Ceramide Channels; 3.1 Introduction; 3.1.1 Membrane Channels; 3.1.2 Membrane Channels Formed by Cellular Lipids; 3.2 Evidence for the Existence of Ceramide Channels; 3.2.1 Ceramide-Induced Permeabilization of the Mitochondrial Outer Membrane to Proteins; 3.2.2 Ceramide Addition Permeabilizes Phospholipid Membranes; 3.2.3 Model of the Ceramide Channel 3.2.4 Visualization of the Ceramide Channel by Electron Microscopy3.2.5 Dynamics of Ceramide Channels; 3.2.6 Ceramide Channel Destabilization by Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 Family Proteins; 3.2.7 Synergy Between Ceramide and the Pro-apoptotic Protein Bax; 3.2.8 Membrane Specificity of Ceramide Channel Formation; 3.3 Conclusions; References;
4: A Stroll Down the CerS Lane; 4.1 A Stroll Through the CerS Sequence, from N- to C-Terminus; 4.1.1 The CerS N-Terminus Faces the ER Lumen and Contains a Glycosylation Site; 4.1.2 The First TMD Targets CerS to the ER 4.1.3 A Conserved, Enigmatic Homeobox-Like Domain4.1.4 The TLC Domain Contains the Active Site and Determines Substrate Specificity; 4.1.4.1 The Lag1p Motif May Contain the N-Acylation Site; 4.1.4.2 Long Chain Base Specificity; 4.1.4.3 Acyl-CoA Specificity Is Determined by the Last Loop of the TLC Domain; 4.1.4.4 CerS2 Contains a S1P Receptor-Like Motif; 4.1.5 The CerS C-Terminus Faces the Cytosol and Contains Phosphorylation Sites; 4.2 CerS Regulation; 4.2.1 CerS Dimerization; 4.2.2 CerS Inhibition; 4.2.3 Transcriptional Regulation of CerS; 4.3 Summary and Conclusions; References
5: The Role of Ceramide 1-Phosphate in Inflammation, Cellular Proliferation, and Wound Healing5.1 Introduction; 5.1.1 Ceramide 1-Phosphate; 5.1.2 The Biosynthesis of Ceramide 1-Phosphate in Mammalian Cells; 5.2 The Generation of Eicosanoids and Induction of the Inflammatory Response by Ceramide 1-Phosphate; 5.3 Ceramide 1-Phosphate and Cell Survival; 5.3.1 The Role of Ceramide 1-Phosphate in Cellular Proliferation; 5.3.2 Acid Sphingomyelinase; 5.3.3 The Association of Ceramide 1-Phosphate with the PI3-K/AKT, NF-kB, and Other Survival Pathways