Modulation of cell functions by glycosphingolipid metabolic remodeling in the plasma membrane

The endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus are the subcellular sites for glycosphingolipid neobiosynthesis. In addition to this very well-established knowledge, it is now emerging that post-Golgi changes in glycosphingolipid structures occurring at the plasma membrane are an important opportunity to modulate cell glycosphingolipid composition and to affect consequently a number of signaling processes. In fact, it is possible to modify very rapidly the membrane organization by the modulation of plasma membrane-associated enzymes through external stimuli, thus affecting the membrane environment and the functional properties of plasma membrane proteins involved in cell signaling. The number of enzymes for glycosphingolipid metabolism that have been shown to be associated with the plasma membrane and the information on their features are growing very rapidly, and today some of these enzymes have been deeply characterized. In this review, we focus on the possible role and on the involvement of these plasma membrane-associated enzymes in modulating cell functions.