Sphingolipidomics: a valuable tool for understanding the roles of sphingolipids in biology and disease

Alfred H. Merrill, Jr.; Todd H. Stokes; Amin Momin; Hyejung Park; Brent J. Portz; Samuel Kelly; Elaine Wang; M. Cameron Sullards; May Dongmei Wang

Journal of Lipid Research (Jan 2009)

Sphingolipidomics: a valuable tool for understanding the roles of sphingolipids in biology and disease

Alfred H. Merrill, Jr.,
Todd H. Stokes,
Amin Momin,
Hyejung Park,
Brent J. Portz,
Samuel Kelly,
Elaine Wang,
M. Cameron Sullards,
May Dongmei Wang

Affiliations

Alfred H. Merrill, Jr.: To whom correspondence should be addressed; Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Todd H. Stokes: Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Amin Momin: Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Hyejung Park: Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Brent J. Portz: Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Samuel Kelly: Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Elaine Wang: Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
M. Cameron Sullards: Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
May Dongmei Wang: Schools of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 50
pp. S97 – S102

Abstract

Read online

The sphingolipidome is the portion of the lipidome that encompasses all sphingoid bases and their derivatives. Whereas the most studied sphingoid base is sphingosine [(2S,3R,4E)-2-aminooctadecene-1,3-diol], mammals have dozens of structural variants, and hundreds of additional types have been found in other eukaryotic organisms and some bacteria and viruses. Multiplying these figures by the N-acyl-derivatives (“ceramides”) and the more than 500 phospho- and glyco- headgroups places the number of discrete molecular species in the tens of thousands or higher. Structure-specific, quantitative information about a growing fraction of the sphingolipidome can now be obtained using various types of chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, and application of these methods is producing many surprises regarding sphingolipid structure, metabolism, and function. Such large data sets can be difficult to interpret, but the development of tools that display results from genomic and lipidomic studies in a pathway relational, nodal, context can make it easier for investigators to deal with this complexity.

Published in Journal of Lipid Research

ISSN: 0022-2275 (Print); 1539-7262 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Organic chemistry: Biochemistry
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-lipid-research

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords