Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy
07:20

Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy

Published on: January 31, 2025

Sphingolipids in cancer: regulation of pathogenesis and therapy

Besim Ogretmen1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, 29425, USA. ogretmen@musc.edu

FEBS Letters
|September 15, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Bioactive sphingolipids regulate cell growth and cancer therapy. Recent advances in sphingolipid metabolism and analysis reveal their crucial roles in cancer prevention and treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Sphingolipids are critical in cell proliferation and cancer.
  • Enzymes in sphingolipid metabolism are increasingly identified.
  • New analytical techniques enable physiological level studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Review recent developments in bioactive sphingolipid roles.
  • Focus on cell growth/proliferation regulation.
  • Examine sphingolipids in anti-cancer therapeutics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent research.
  • Analysis of sphingolipid metabolism pathways.
  • Examination of quantitative sphingolipid analysis techniques.

Main Results:

  • Sphingolipids significantly impact cancer cell growth.
  • Bioactive sphingolipids show potential in cancer therapy.
  • Understanding sphingolipid metabolism aids drug development.

Conclusions:

  • Sphingolipids are key regulators in cancer.
  • Targeting sphingolipid pathways offers therapeutic strategies.
  • Further research will refine cancer treatment approaches.

More Related Videos

A Pipeline to Investigate the Structures and Signaling Pathways of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptors12:27

A Pipeline to Investigate the Structures and Signaling Pathways of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptors

Published on: June 8, 2022

Related Concept Videos

Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Cancer Therapies02:49

Cancer Therapies

Cancer therapies are various modes of treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy that are administered to cancer patients.
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...