Sphingolipids in Metabolic Disease: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown

Overview

Journal Cell Metab

Publisher Cell Press

Specialties Cell Biology
Endocrinology

Date 2021 Jul 7

PMID 34233172

Citations 96

Authors

Christopher D Green

Michael Maceyka

L Ashley Cowart

Sarah Spiegel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The bioactive sphingolipid metabolites ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are a recent addition to the lipids accumulated in obesity and have emerged as important molecular players in metabolic diseases. Here we summarize evidence that dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism correlates with pathogenesis of metabolic diseases in humans. This review discusses the current understanding of how ceramide regulates signaling and metabolic pathways to exacerbate metabolic diseases and the Janus faces for its further metabolite S1P, the kinases that produce it, and the multifaceted and at times opposing actions of S1P receptors in various tissues. Gaps and limitations in current knowledge are highlighted together with the need to further decipher the full array of their actions in tissue dysfunction underlying metabolic pathologies, pointing out prospects to move this young field of research toward the development of effective therapeutics.

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