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Metabolic pathways and intracellular trafficking of gangliosides
Author(s) -
Daniotti Jose Luis,
IglesiasBartolomé Ramiro
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1002/iub.477
Subject(s) - golgi apparatus , ganglioside , glycosphingolipid , endoplasmic reticulum , glycolipid , glycosyltransferase , biochemistry , sialic acid , sialidase , microbiology and biotechnology , catabolism , biology , intracellular , ceramide , metabolic pathway , biosynthesis , enzyme , neuraminidase , apoptosis
Gangliosides constitute a large and heterogeneous family of acidic glycosphingolipids that contain one or more sialic acid residues and are expressed in nearly all vertebrate cells. Their de novo synthesis starts at the endoplasmic reticulum and is continued by a combination of glycosyltransferase activities at the Golgi complex, followed by vesicular delivery to the plasma membrane. At the cell surface, gangliosides participate in a variety of physiological as well as pathological processes. The cloning of genes for most of the glycosyltransferases responsible for ganglioside biosynthesis has produced a better understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of the ganglioside metabolism. In addition, the ability to delete groups of glycosphingolipid structures in mice has been enormously important in determining their physiological roles. Recently, a number of enzymes for ganglioside anabolism and catabolism have been shown to be associated with the plasma membrane, which might contribute to modulate local glycolipid composition, and consequently, the cell function. © 2011 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 63(7): 513‐520, 2011