The cell biology of glycosphingolipids

Glycosphingolipids, a family of heterogeneous lipids with biophysical properties conserved from fungi to mammals, are key components of cellular membranes. Because of their tightly packed backbone, they have the ability to associate with other sphingolipids and cholesterol to form microdomains called lipid rafts, with which a variety of proteins associate. These microdomains are thought to originate in the Golgi apparatus, where most sphingolipids are synthesized, and are enriched at the plasma membrane. They are involved in an increasing number of processes, including sorting of proteins by allowing selectivity in intracellular membrane transport. Apart from being involved in recognition and signaling on the cell surface, glycosphingolipids may fulfill unexpected roles on the cytosolic surface of cellular membranes.