Cell cycle progression and cell polarity require sphingolipid biosynthesis in Aspergillus nidulans

Sphingolipids are major components of the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells and were once thought of merely as structural components of the membrane. We have investigated effects of inhibiting sphingolipid biosynthesis, both in germinating spores and growing hyphae of Aspergillus nidulans. In germinating spores, genetic or pharmacological inactivation of inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC) synthase arrests the cell cycle in G(1) and also prevents polarized growth during spore germination. However, inactivation of IPC synthase not only eliminates sphingolipid biosynthesis but also leads to a marked accumulation of ceramide, its upstream intermediate. We therefore inactivated serine palmitoyltransferase, the first enzyme in the sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway, to determine effects of inhibiting sphingolipid biosynthesis without an accumulation of ceramide. This inactivation also prevented polarized growth but did not affect nuclear division of germinating spores. To see if sphingolipid biosynthesis is required to maintain polarized growth, and not just to establish polarity, we inhibited sphingolipid biosynthesis in cells in which polarity was already established. This inhibition rapidly abolished normal cell polarity and promoted cell tip branching, which normally never occurs. Cell tip branching was closely associated with dramatic changes in the normally highly polarized actin cytoskeleton and found to be dependent on actin function. The results indicate that sphingolipids are essential for the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity via control of the actin cytoskeleton and that accumulation of ceramide is likely responsible for arresting the cell cycle in G(1).