Influence of Hydroxylation, Chain Length, and Chain Unsaturation on Bilayer Properties of Ceramides.

ABSTRACT: Mammalian ceramides constitute a family of at least a few hundred closely related molecules distinguished by small structural differences, giving rise to individual molecular species that are expressed in distinct cellular compartments, or tissue types, in which they are believed to execute distinct functions. We have examined how specific structural details influence the bilayer properties of a selection of biologically relevant ceramides in mixed bilayers together with sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol. The ceramide structure varied with regard to interfacial hydroxylation, the identity of the headgroup, the length of the N-acyl chain, and the position of cis-double bonds in the acyl chains. The interactions of the ceramides with sphingomyelin, their lateral segregation

SUBMITTER: Maula T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4624343 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature