Reference - Detail
| RRC ID | 5850 |
|---|---|
| Author | Marza E, Simonsen KT, Faergeman NJ, Lesa GM. |
| Title | Expression of ceramide glucosyltransferases, which are essential for glycosphingolipid synthesis, is only required in a small subset of C. elegans cells. |
| Journal | J Cell Sci |
| Abstract |
Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are glycosylated derivatives of ceramide in the lipid bilayer. Their ubiquitous distribution and complexity suggest that they have important functions, but what these are in vivo is still poorly understood. Here, we characterize the phenotype of Caenorhabditis elegans mutants with essentially no GSLs. The C. elegans genome encodes three ceramide glucosyltransferase (CGT) genes, which encode enzymes required for GSL biosynthesis. Animals lacking CGT do not synthesize GSLs, arrest growth at the first larval stage, and display defects in a subset of cells in their digestive tract; these defects impair larval feeding, resulting in a starvation-induced growth arrest. Restoring CGT function in these digestive tract cells - but not in a variety of other tissues - is sufficient to rescue the phenotypes associated with loss of CGT function. These unexpected findings suggest that GSLs are dispensable in most C. elegans cells, including those of the nervous system. |
| Volume | 122(Pt 6) |
| Pages | 822-33 |
| Published | 2009-3-15 |
| DOI | 10.1242/jcs.042754 |
| PII | jcs.042754 |
| PMID | 19240113 |
| PMC | PMC2714426 |
| MeSH | Amino Acid Sequence Animals Apoptosis Caenorhabditis elegans / cytology* Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology Caenorhabditis elegans / enzymology* Caenorhabditis elegans / ultrastructure Cell Proliferation Cell Shape Ceramides / metabolism Embryo, Nonmammalian / cytology Embryo, Nonmammalian / enzymology Feeding Behavior Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic Gene Knockout Techniques Genes, Helminth Glucosyltransferases / chemistry Glucosyltransferases / genetics* Glycosphingolipids / biosynthesis* Glycosphingolipids / chemistry Larva / enzymology Larva / genetics Molecular Sequence Data Mutation / genetics Nervous System / enzymology Organ Specificity Phenotype RNA, Messenger / genetics RNA, Messenger / metabolism Transformation, Genetic |
| IF | 4.573 |
| Times Cited | 35 |
| WOS Category | CELL BIOLOGY |
| Resource | |
| C.elegans | tm1027 tm1097 tm1192 tm504 |