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Sphingolipids and Gangliosides

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Encyclopedia of Biophysics

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Definition

Sphingolipids contain a sphingoid base within their structure. Gangliosides are sialic-acid-containing glycosphingolipids.

Introduction

Sphingolipids are characteristic eukaryotic lipids which – with few exceptions – do not occur in bacteria. The name “sphingolipids” was introduced by H. E. Carter (1947) and referred to a lipid class that contains a sphingoid base. Today, sphingolipids represent one of the categories into which lipids have been divided, together with fatty acyls (Fatty Acids, Alkanols, and Diacylglycerols), glycerolipids (Glycerolipids: Chemistry), glycerophospholipids, sterol lipids, prenol lipids, saccharolipids, and polyketides. Sphingolipids themselves have been classified into several major classes: sphingoid bases, ceramides, phosphosphingolipids, phosphonosphingolipids, neutral glycosphingolipids, acidic glycosphingolipids, basic glycosphingolipids, amphoteric glycosphingolipids, arsenosphingolipids, and others (Fahy et al. 2005).

Structures

Sphingoid...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. LiMES – Program Unit Membrane Biology & Lipid Biochemistry, Universität Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk Str. 1, Bonn, D-53121, Germany

    Thomas Kolter

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  1. Thomas Kolter
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Kolter .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    Gordon C. K. Roberts

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© 2013 European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA)

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Kolter, T. (2013). Sphingolipids and Gangliosides. In: Roberts, G.C.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_528

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