Ceramide in stress response.

Evidence has consistently indicated that activation of sphingomyelinases and/or ceramide synthases and the resulting accumulation of ceramide mediate cellular responses to stressors such as lipopolysaccharide, interleukin 1beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha, serum deprivation, irradiation and various antitumor treatments. Recent studies had identified the genes encoding most of the enzymes responsible for the generation of ceramide and ongoing research is aimed at characterizing their individual functions in cellular response to stress. This chapter discusses the seminal and more recent discoveries in regards to the pathways responsible for the accumulation of ceramide during stress and the mechanisms by which ceramide affects cell functions.

Acid Sphingomyelinase Deficiency Prevents Diet-induced Hepatic Triacylglycerol Accumulation and Hyperglycemia in Mice.

Acid sphingomyelinase plays important roles in ceramide homeostasis, which has been proposed to be linked to insulin resistance. To test this association in vivo, acid sphingomyelinase deletion (asm(-/-)) was transferred to mice lacking the low density lipoprotein receptor (ldlr(-/-)), and then offsprings were placed on control or modified (enriched in saturated fat and cholesterol) diets for 10 weeks. The modified diet caused hypercholesterolemia in all genotypes; however, in contrast to asm(+/+)/ldlr(-/-), the acid sphingomyelinase-deficient littermates did not display hepatic triacylglyceride accumulation, although sphingomyelin and other sphingolipids were substantially elevated, and the liver was enlarged.