Tackling the biophysical properties of sphingolipids to decipher their biological roles

From the most simple sphingoid bases to their complex glycosylated derivatives, several sphingolipid species were shown to have a role in fundamental cellular events and/or disease. Increasing evidence places lipid-lipid interactions and membrane structural alterations as central mechanisms underlying the action of these lipids. Understanding how these molecules exert their biological roles by studying their impact in the physical properties and organization of membranes is currently one of the main challenges in sphingolipid research. Herein, we review the progress in the state-of-the-art on the biophysical properties of sphingolipid-containing membranes, focusing on sphingosine, ceramides, and glycosphingolipids.