Sphingolipid metabolism is important to balance the abundance of bioactive lipid molecules involved in cell signaling, neuronal function, and survival. Specifically, the sphingolipid sphingosine mediates cell death signaling, whereas its phosphorylated form, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), mediates cell survival signaling. The enzyme sphingosine kinase produces S1P, and the activity of sphingosi...

The phosphorylated derivative of sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate, is a short-living metabolite of ultimate ceramide degradation and was shown to act as an intracellular signaling molecule, stimulating cell proliferation in quiescent Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts and inducing the release of calcium from intracellular stores (Zhang, H., Desai, N. N., Olivera, A., Seki, T., Brooker, G., and Spiegel, ...

Published Ahead of Print 21 April 2008. 10.1128/MCB.01465-07. 2008, 28(12):4142. DOI: Mol. Cell. Biol. Deborah A. Lebman Anna V. Miller, Sergio E. Alvarez, Sarah Spiegel and and Invasion of Esophageal Cancer Cells 2 Activation and Promotion of Migration and Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1 -Induced β Transforming Growth Factor Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Are Critical for Sphingosine Kinases and

Plant lipid transfer proteins are a large family that can be found in all land plants. They have hydrophobic cavity allows them to harbor lipids and facilitates their traffic between membranes. However, humans, this plant protein is responsible for the main food allergies Mediterranean area. Nevertheless, not only itself but also its ligand relevant allergic sensitization. The aim of present wo...

FTY720, a potent immunomodulatory drug in phase 2/3 clinical trials, induces rapid and reversible sequestration of lymphocytes into secondary lymphoid organs, thereby preventing their migration to sites of inflammation. As prerequisite for its function, phosphorylation of FTY720 to yield a potent agonist of the sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor S1P(1) is required in vivo, catalyzed by an as-yet-...