Sphingolipid signaling pathway

The sphingolipid signaling pathway is a complex cellular network involving the synthesis, metabolism, and signaling functions of sphingolipids—lipids such as ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) that act as bioactive molecules in many critical processes including apoptosis, cell growth, differentiation, senescence, and immune cell trafficking[1][6][7]. Sphingolipid metabolites like ceramide and S1P are generated from sphingomyelin and other precursor lipids by various enzymes (e.g., sphingomyelinase, ceramidase, sphingosine kinase), and they engage in multiple intracellular and extracellular signaling events. Notably, S1P serves as a ligand for a family of G protein-coupled receptors (S1PR1-5), while ceramide mainly acts through receptor-independent mechanisms[1][8][9]. Dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism and signaling is implicated in cancer, cardiovascular, autoimmune, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases[2][8][9].

Other names

Sphingolipid metabolic pathwaySphingolipid signaling networkSphingolipid pathwaySignal transduction by sphingolipids