A Stroll Down the CerS Lane

Abstract

The majority of enzymes in the sphingolipid (SL) biosynthetic pathway have been identified over the past couple of decades. Despite significant work, and despite their crucial and central roles in SL synthesis, significant information is still lacking concerning the enzymes that catalyze the N-acylation of sphingoid long chain bases, namely the ceramide synthases (CerS), a family of six mammalian genes originally named longevity assurance (Lass) genes. Each of these six endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane-bound enzymes utilizes a relatively restricted sub-set of fatty acyl-CoAs for N-acylation, but are far more promiscuous about the use of long chain bases. The reason that mammals and other species have multiple CerS, generating a specific subset of ceramides, is not yet known, but implies an important role for ceramides containing specific fatty acids in cell physiology. In this brief chapter, we will stroll down the CerS lane and discuss what is known, and what is not known, about this important enzyme family.

Keywords: Ceramide; Ceramide synthase; N-acyl transferase; N-acylation; Sphingolipids.