ceramides
Sign in to savethumb|Ceramide. R represents the alkyl portion of a fatty acid. thumb|class=skin-invert|upright=2|General structures of sphingolipids Ceramides are a family of waxy lipid molecules. A ceramide is composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid joined by an amide bond. Ceramides are found in high concentrations within the cell membrane of eukaryotic cells, since they are component lipids that make up sphingomyelin, one of the major lipids in the lipid bilayer. Contrary to previous assumptions that ceramides and other sphingolipids found in cell membrane were purely supporting structural elements, cera
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Pathways for ceramide synthesis
- Sphingomyelin hydrolysis
- De novo
- Salvage pathway
- Physiological roles
- Pathology
- Apoptosis
- Skin
- Hormonal
- Substances known to induce ceramide generation
- Mechanism by which ceramide signaling occurs
- Related diseases
- Uses
- Ceramide in bacteria
- Ceramide phosphoethanolamine
- References
- External links
thumb|Ceramide. R represents the alkyl portion of a fatty acid. thumb|class=skin-invert|upright=2|General structures of sphingolipids Ceramides are a family of waxy lipid molecules. A ceramide is composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid joined by an amide bond. Ceramides are found in high concentrations within the cell membrane of eukaryotic cells, since they are component lipids that make up sphingomyelin, one of the major lipids in the lipid bilayer. Contrary to previous assumptions that ceramides and other sphingolipids found in cell membrane were purely supporting structural elements, ceramide can participate in a variety of cellular signaling: examples include regulating differentiation, proliferation, and programmed cell death (PCD) of cells.
The word ceramide comes from the Latin cera (wax) and amide. Ceramide is a component of vernix caseosa, the waxy or cheese-like white substance found coating the skin of newborn human infants.