This book is about the various roles of bioactive ceramides and other sphingolipids in cellular biology. The enigmatic biophysical and biochemical properties of ceramides and their propensity to influence membranes whether as rafts or protein-permeable channels are heavily discussed. Metabolism of ceramides and their metabolites is also focused with ceramide synthase family of proteins being a target of extensive review. Ceramide 1-phosphate and other sphingolipids are also presented in cellular physiology and pathophysiology. Prokaryotic origins of mitochondria at the level of membranes and the occurrence of apoptosis in bacteria are presented. Many aspects of ceramide and sphingolipid biology are addressed in this book. Its focus is the metabolism of ceramide in normal and diseased states and the biophysical and biochemical mechanisms governing the bioactivity of these molecules. Sphingolipid research has surged over the past thirty years and this book gathers the recent findings of various aspects of sphingolipid biochemistry. World-renowned scientists from the field of lipid biology, specifically sphingolipid biochemistry, were gathered to write this book. Scholars from most continents of the globe committed to write diligently about their expertise and the newest findings in the relevant fields. This book came to fruition after almost a year and a half of laborious preparation and diligent writings. This book is targeted to the experienced reader who is looking to read about the various aspects of bioactive ceramide signaling, as well as to the newcomer into the field, as the topics are explained in concise yet very informative manner. The authors and editor wish all readers a pleasant time reading this volume, and are adamant that this book will meet all expectations.

The volume assembles current information on the role of ceramide as a signalling molecule in 16 chapters written by leading workers in this area. Specific attention is given to mechanisms of analysis of ceramide and its biophysical properties, on enzymes of ceramide metabolism and down-stream targets of ceramide, on the cross-talk of ceramide signalling with other signalling pathways, and on the role of ceramide in neuronal signalling. Finally, the book closes with a section on the therapeutic implications of ceramide action, in the areas of cannabinoid action, chemotherapy, and atherosclerosis, and illustrates the potential medical significance of delineating the roles of ceramide in cell signalling. This is the first volume specifically devoted to ceramide signalling, and will act as an invaluable resource for basic and medical researchers and graduate students wishing to get a state of the art overview of this rapidly moving field.

This book attempts to analyze the latest discoveries in sphingolipid biology and how the alteration of their metabolism leads to altered signaling events and to the development of pathobiological disorders, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, diabetes, inflammation and infectious diseases.

Lipids are functionally versatile molecules. They have evolved from relatively simple hydrocarbons that serve as depot storages of metabolites and barriers to the permeation of solutes into complex compounds that perform a variety of signalling functions in higher organisms. This volume is devoted to the polar lipids and their constituents. We have omitted the neutral lipids like fats and oils because their function is generally to act as deposits of metabolizable substrates. The sterols are also outside the scope of the present volume and the reader is referred to volume 28 of this series which is the subject of cholesterol. The polar lipids are comprised of fatty acids attached to either glycerol or sphingosine. The fatty acids themselves constitute an important reservoir of substrates for conversion into families of signalling and modulating molecules including the eicosanoids amongst which are the prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leucotrienes. The way fatty acid metabolism is regulated in the liver and how fatty acids are desaturated are subjects considered in the first part of this volume. This section also deals with the modulation of protein function and inflammation by unsaturated fatty acids and their derivatives. New insights into the role of fatty acid synthesis and eicosenoid function in tumour progression and metastasis are presented.

In Bioactive lipids, Anna Nicolaou and George Kokotos have brought together an international team of authors to discuss the nomenclature, structures, biochemistry, pharmacology and recent developments in the main classes of bioactive lipids. These lipids are essential components of the cell membrane and play many dynamic roles in mediating and controlling a wide array of cellular activities including membrane structure and organization, metabolic and gene regulation, protein structure and function, energy production, and signalling pathways. The lipid interests of scientists in the pharmaceutical and food industries are converging as the broader significance of bioactive lipids is increasingly recognized. Lipids and lipid-metabolizing enzymes are targeted for the development of new drugs. Meanwhile, functional foods, nutraceuticals and supplements already have lipids as major active ingredients. The food industry will progress from simply using lipids as ingredients, to the formulation of products that influence the synthesis, metabolism and effects of bioactive lipids in the body. These advances in applied lipid biochemistry will build on the fundamental research of lipid scientists in universities worldwide, such as those scientists contributing to Bioactive lipids.

Sphingolipids are lipid components of the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells. They have an important function in signaling mechanisms in the cell. This book on sphingolipids provides insights into the basics of sphingolipid biology and drug development, with a particular emphasis on the sphingolipid derivative ceramide. In the first part basic functions of sphingolipids are described, as well as the genetics of important enzymes, sphingolipid metabolism and synthesis. The second part of this first volume focuses on drug development and pharmacology. The book is intended for scientists in pharmacology, biochemistry and cell biology with a focus on biomedical research as well as for clinicians working in pharmacology, oncology, cardiology, neurology and infectious disease. Together with Volume 216 by the same editors, the collection represents a unique, comprehensive work on sphingolipids, providing information on both sphingolipids’ basic biology (including synthesis, metabolism and cell biology) and their important function in a (patho-)physiological context.