Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Ceramide and cell death receptor clustering.

Erich Gulbins1, Heike Grassmé

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology, University of Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122 Essen, Germany. erich.gulbins@uni-essen.de

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|January 18, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) activation releases ceramide, crucial for cellular responses to various stimuli. This ceramide modifies membrane rafts, clustering receptors and initiating signaling pathways.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Acid sphingomyelinase activity regulates in vitro CREB activation in murine primary neurons.

Behavioural brain research·2026
Same author

Zuclopenthixol inhibits residual activity of acid sphingomyelinase in Niemann pick disease type B: a case report with in vitro validation.

Orphanet journal of rare diseases·2026
Same author

Rhinovirus infection promotes suppression of sphingosine and enhanced bacterial infection in cystic fibrosis airways.

The Journal of biological chemistry·2026
Same author

Maraviroc attenuates orbital remodeling, inflammation, and lipid dysregulation in a murine model of thyroid eye disease associated with Graves' disease.

Frontiers in endocrinology·2026
Same author

Tumor-specific targeting of a mitochondrial Kv1.3 channel inhibitor through conjugation to gastrin/cholecystokinin B receptor ligand strongly reduces pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in orthotopic models.

Pharmacological research·2026
Same author

Immune activation and response dynamics of human iPSC-derived macrophages in tuberculosis infection models.

Clinical & translational immunology·2026

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) is activated by numerous stimuli, including immune receptors (CD95, TNF-R, CD40) and environmental stressors (UV, irradiation).
  • Ceramide, released by ASM, plays a central role in cellular responses to these stimuli, as evidenced by genetic studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of ASM-released ceramide in cellular signaling.
  • To investigate how ceramide influences membrane organization and receptor clustering.

Main Methods:

  • Review of genetic studies confirming ceramide's role.
  • Analysis of fluorescence microscopy data on membrane raft dynamics.

Main Results:

  • ASM activation by diverse stimuli leads to ceramide release, mediating biological effects.
  • Ceramide modifies membrane rafts, creating larger domains that cluster receptors.
  • Increased receptor density within these domains is proposed to initiate specific signaling.

Conclusions:

  • ASM-mediated ceramide generation is a key mechanism in cellular signaling pathways.
  • Ceramide's ability to reorganize membrane rafts is critical for receptor clustering and signal initiation.
  • This mechanism explains ASM and ceramide's involvement in responses to various physiological and pathological stimuli.

Related Experiment Videos