Simplifying complexity: genetically resculpting glycosphingolipid synthesis pathways in mice to reveal function

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are a group of plasma-membrane lipids notable for their extremely diverse glycan head groups. The metabolic pathways for GSLs, including the identity of the biosynthetic enzymes needed for synthesis of their glycans, are now well understood. Many of their cellular functions...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Glycoconjugate journal 2014-12, Vol.31 (9), p.613-622
Main Authors: Allende, Maria Laura, Proia, Richard L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biosynthesis
Biosynthetic Pathways - genetics
Cell signaling
Endocytosis
Enterocytes - cytology
Enterocytes - metabolism
Enzymes
Galactosyltransferases - deficiency
Galactosyltransferases - genetics
Gene expression
Gene Expression Regulation
Glycosphingolipids
Glycosphingolipids - biosynthesis
Glycosphingolipids - chemistry
Life Sciences
Lipid metabolism
Lipids
Liver - cytology
Liver - metabolism
Metabolic pathways
Mice
Mice, Knockout
Mini-Review
Nervous System - cytology
Nervous System - metabolism
Neurons - cytology
Neurons - metabolism
Oligodendroglia - cytology
Oligodendroglia - metabolism
Pathology
Phenotypes
Phospholipids
Polysaccharides
Rodents
Signal Transduction
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Summary:Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are a group of plasma-membrane lipids notable for their extremely diverse glycan head groups. The metabolic pathways for GSLs, including the identity of the biosynthetic enzymes needed for synthesis of their glycans, are now well understood. Many of their cellular functions, which include plasma-membrane organization, regulation of cell signaling, endocytosis, and serving as binding sites for pathogens and endogenous receptors, have also been established. However, an understanding of their functions in vivo had been lagging. Studies employing genetic manipulations of the GSL synthesis pathways in mice have been used to systematically reduce the large numbers and complexity of GSL glycan structures, allowing the in vivo functions of GSLs to be revealed from analysis of the resulting phenotypes. Findings from these studies have produced a clearer picture of the role of GSLs in mammalian physiology, which is the topic of this review.
ISSN:0282-0080
1573-4986
DOI:10.1007/s10719-014-9563-5