Journal
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
Volume 131, Issue 24, Pages -Publisher
COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/jcs.219204
Keywords
Differentiation; Glycosphingolipid; Golgi complex
Categories
Funding
- Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) [MFAG 10585]
- Italian Ministry of Health [GR-2011-02352256]
- Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Universita e della Ricerca (MIUR) [PON_00862]
- H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions INCIPIT PhD program
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are ubiquitous components of eukaryotic plasma membranes that consist of a ceramide backbone linked to a glycan moiety. Both the ceramide and the glycan parts of GSLs display structural variations that result in a remarkable repertoire of diverse compounds. This diversity of GSLs is exploited during embryogenesis, when different GSLs are produced at specific developmental stages and along several differentiation trajectories. Importantly, plasma membrane receptors interact with GSLs to modify their activities. Consequently, two otherwise identical cells can respond differently to the same stimulus owing to their different GSL composition. The metabolic reprograming of GSLs is in fact a necessary part of developmental programs, as its impairment results in developmental failure or tissue-specific defects. Moreover, single-cell variability is emerging as a fundamental player in development: GSL composition displays cell-to-cell variability in syngeneic cell populations owing to the regulatory gene expression circuits involved in microenvironment adaptation and in differentiation. Here, we discuss how GSLs are synthesized and classified and review the role of GSLs in the establishment and maintenance of cell identity. We further highlight the existence of the regulatory circuits that modify GSL pathways and speculate how GSL heterogeneity might contribute to developmental patterning.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available