Understanding the stepwise synthesis of glycolipids

Glycolipid expression is highly regulated during development and differeniation. The control relies mainly on transcriptional modulation of key glycosyltransferases acting at the branching points of the pathway of biosynthesis. Transferases are Golgi residents that depend on N-glycosylation and oligosaccharide processing for proper folding in the endoplasmic reticulum. The N-terminal domain bears information for their transport to the Golgi, retention in the organelle and differential concentration in sub-Golgi compartments. In the Golgi, some transferases associate forming functional multienzyme complexes. It is envisaged that the machinery for synthesis in the Golgi complex, and its dynamics, constitute a potential target for fine tuning of the control of glycolipid expression according to cell demands.