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Ceramide inhibits pancreatic β‐cell insulin production and mitogenesis and mimics the actions of interleukin‐1β
Author(s) -
Sjöholm Åke
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(95)00470-t
Subject(s) - ceramide , chemistry , insulin , medicine , endocrinology , interleukin 1β , microbiology and biotechnology , interleukin , cytokine , biology , biochemistry , apoptosis
Ceramide, generated during sphingomyelinase‐induced sphingolipid cleavage, is considered an important mediator in cytokine signaling. The effects of endogenously generated and exogenously delivered ceramide on long‐term insulin secretion and replication by pancreatic β‐cells were investigated, and compared to the effects of interleukin 1β (ILI‐1β). Generation of β‐cell ceramide by exogenous sphingomyelinase, or addition of cell‐permeant ceramide analogs C 2 ‐ceramide and C 6 ‐ceramide, caused inhibitory effects on β‐cell insulin production and mitogenesis mimicing those evoked by IL‐1β. Hence, ceramide may be involved in transducing the cytostatic and cytotoxic actions of IL‐1β in the β‐cell.