Sphingolipids as Regulators of the Phagocytic Response to Fungal Infections

Figure 2

Overview of sphingolipid synthesis. Sphingolipids contain a sphingosine backbone that is modified to produce an array of metabolites. Ceramide serves a central role and can be synthesized by breakdown of sphingomyelin, addition of fatty acid by ceramide synthase, or de novo synthesis from serine palmitoyltransferase. Ceramide and sphingosine can be phosphorylated by their respective kinases to form bioactive metabolites. More complex sphingolipids are formed from ceramide, including sphingomyelin and glycosphingolipids.