The yeast sphingolipid signaling landscape

Abstract

Sphingolipids are recognized as signaling mediators in a growing number of pathways, and represent potential targets to address many diseases. The study of sphingolipid signaling in yeast has created a number of breakthroughs in the field, and has the potential to lead future advances. The aim of this article is to provide an inclusive view of two major frontiers in yeast sphingolipid signaling. In the first section, several key studies in the field of sphingolipidomics are consolidated to create a yeast sphingolipidome that ranks nearly all known sphingolipid species by their level in a resting yeast cell. The second section presents an overview of most known phenotypes identified for sphingolipid gene mutants, presented with the intention of illuminating not yet discovered connections outside and inside of the field.

Keywords: Lipidomics; Signaling; Sphingolipid; Yeast.

Figure 1

The Yeast Sphingolipid Metabolic Pathway. This pathway schematic includes incorporation of myristate and stearate to make C16 and C20 sphingoid bases.

Figure 2

The model yeast sphingolipidome. The bottom left shows the structure of a model yeast sphingolipid to assist in visualization of the model lipidome. The bottom left gives the trivial lipid name, the abbreviated names used in this figure, and specifies the corresponding portion of the model sphingolipid. Lipids belonging to each of the six lipid groups are listed together.