Cited by 293Sphingolipid Metabolism and SignalingLipid metabolism and biosynthesisLysosomal Storage Disorders Research

Identification and Characterization of a Sphingolipid Δ4-Desaturase Family

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Ternes, Philipp, Franke, Stephan, Zähringer, Ulrich, Sperling, Petra, Heinz, Ernst·2002·Journal of Biological Chemistry

Abstract

Sphingolipids desaturated at the Delta4-position are important signaling molecules in many eukaryotic organisms, including mammals. In a bioinformatics approach, we now identified a new family of protein sequences from animals, plants, and fungi and characterized these sequences biochemically by expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This resulted in the identification of the enzyme sphingolipid Delta4-desaturase (dihydroceramide desaturase) from Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Drosophila melanogaster, and Candida albicans, in addition to a bifunctional sphingolipid Delta4-desaturase/C-4-hydroxylase from M. musculus. Among the sequences investigated are the Homo sapiens membrane lipid desaturase, the M. musculus degenerative spermatocyte, and the Drosophila melanogaster degenerative spermatocyte proteins. During spermatogenesis, but not oogenesis of des mutant flies, both cell cycle and spermatid differentiation are specifically blocked at the entry into the first meiotic division, leading to male sterility. This mutant phenotype can be restored to wild-type by complementation with a functional copy of the des gene (Endo, K., Akiyama, T., Kobayashi S., and Okada, M. (1996) Mol. Gen. Genet. 253, 157-165). These results suggest that Delta4-desaturated sphingolipids provide an early signal necessary to trigger the entry into both meiotic and spermatid differentiation pathways during Drosophila spermatogenesis.

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  • Sphingosine- and phytosphingosine-type ceramides are generated either via desaturation between the 4 and 5 positions of the LCB moiety of dihydroceramides (DS ceramides) by DEGS1, or via hydroxylation of the same moiety at the 4 position by DEGS2.

    “Sphingosine-and phytosphingosine-type ceramides are generated either via desaturation between the 4 and 5 positions of the LCB moiety of dihydroceramides (DS ceramides) by the desaturase DEGS1, or via hydroxylation of the same moiety at the 4 position by the hydroxylase DEGS2 (49,50).”

    From Comparative profiling and comprehensive quantification of stratum corneum ceramides in humans and mice by LC/MS/MS (2020) · cites this paper as [50]

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Gupta, C. M., Radhakrishnan, R., and Khorana, H. G. (1977) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 74, 4315-4319
  2. van de Loo, F. J., Broun, P., Turner, S., and Somerville, C. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 92, 6743-6747

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Authors
Ternes, P., Franke, S., Zähringer, U., Sperling, P., & Heinz, E.
Affiliations
  • Universität Hamburg (DE)
  • Research Center Borstel - Leibniz Lung Center (DE)
Corresponding author
Heinz, Ernst
Venue
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2002-07
Volume
277
Issue
28
Pages
25512-25518
ISSN
0021-9258 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1987888500
Cited by
293
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 8
FWCI
5.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fund
  • Clemson University
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sphingolipid Metabolism and Signaling
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Lipid metabolism and biosynthesis
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Lysosomal Storage Disorders Research
Keywords
dihydroceramide desaturase, spermatogenesis, meiotic entry, spermatid differentiation, male sterility, lipid signaling
MeSH terms
Animals, Base Sequence, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Humans, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Oxidoreductases, Phylogeny, Spermatogenesis, Sphingolipids, DNA Primers

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