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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
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Saturated Fatty Acids Induce Ceramide-associated Macrophage Cell Death
Published on: October 31, 2017
Sphingosine and ceramide signalling in apoptosis
1Division of Human Immunology, Hanson Institute, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. joanna.woodcock@imvs.sa.gov.au
IUBMB Life
|August 19, 2006
Summary
The sphingomyelin pathway generates ceramide and sphingosine during apoptosis. While ceramide is a known mediator, recent findings highlight sphingosine
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The sphingomyelin pathway is activated by apoptotic stimuli.
- This activation leads to the accumulation of ceramide and sphingosine.
- Ceramide is a well-established apoptotic second messenger.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of ceramide and sphingosine in apoptosis.
- To discuss the biological effects of these sphingolipids.
- To explore the potential second messenger role of sphingosine and its effectors.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent studies on sphingolipids and apoptosis.
- Analysis of identified downstream effectors involved in sphingosine-mediated cell death.
- Synthesis of current knowledge to reconcile lipid effects with identified effectors.
Main Results:
- Sphingosine, previously overlooked, shows strong evidence as an apoptotic mediator.
- Identification of specific effectors provides a mechanism for sphingosine-induced cell death.
- The review reconciles the known apoptotic roles of ceramide and sphingosine.
Conclusions:
- Sphingosine plays a significant, though underappreciated, role in apoptosis.
- Understanding sphingosine's downstream effectors is crucial for elucidating its cell death mechanisms.
- Further research is warranted to fully characterize the sphingomyelin pathway's role in programmed cell death.
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