Erich Gulbins • Irina Petrache
Editors
2013
Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology
Volume 216
Until the late 1980s, sphingolipids were believed to represent structural components of the plasma membrane, whose function was to provide a protective barrier to the cell. This picture dramatically changed within the last years. Sphingolipids are now recognized signals for fundamental cellular processes such as proliferation, survival, cell death, adhesion, migration, angiogenesis, and embryogenesis. The explosion of knowledge regarding sphingolipids was facilitated by biochemical studies of their signaling properties, the cloning of enzymes of the sphingolipid metabolism, development of genetic models for determining their physiologic roles, and the establishment of biochemical, biophysical, and optical methods for their detection and quantitation. The next step in the evolution of sphingolipids will be the transfer of basic insights into the biochemistry and cell biology of human disease.