Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P06889 (Mol)
 630,302 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have studied the localization of neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMas) in rat liver nuclei. The levels of neutral sphingomyelinase in regenerating liver nuclei were also assessed. We found that rat liver nuclei contain a sphingomyelinase having a pH optima of 7.2 and a kDa of 92. In intact nuclei, neutral sphingomyelinase was associated predominantly with the nuclear envelope. In regenerating/proliferating rat liver (during DNA synthesis), neutral sphingomyelinase was translocated from the nuclear envelope to the nuclear matrix. The levels of sphingomyelin in whole nuclei decreased in reverse proportion to an increase in the levels of neutral sphingomyelinase. By contrast, there was a corresponding increase in the levels of ceramide and sphingosine during cell regeneration/proliferation. Thus, endogenous nuclear neutral sphingomyelinase may play a role in the regulation of sphingomyelin levels and in relevant signal transduction reactions involving cell regeneration/proliferation. The potential significance of ceramide generation may be aimed at programmed cell death to allow the regeneration of liver mediated via target proteins such as, ceramide activated protein kinases/phospholipases or other unknown mechanisms.
Mol Cell Biochem 1995 Feb 23
PMID:Neutral sphingomyelinase: localization in rat liver nuclei and involvement in regeneration/proliferation. 759 51

The sphingomyelin pathway is a new signal transduction system initiated by hydrolysis of plasma membrane sphingomyelin to ceramide by the actin of a neutral sphingomyelinase. Ceramide serine/threonine protein kinase termed ceramide-activated protein kinase. This kinase belongs to a family of proline-directed protein kinases that recognize substrates containing the minimal motif, X-Thr/Ser-Pro-X, where the phosphoacceptor site is followed on the carboxyl terminus by a proline residue and X may be any amino acid. Three lines of evidence, rapid kinetics of activation of the sphingomyelin pathway by tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, the ability of cell-permeable ceramide analogs to bypass receptor activation and mimic the effect of TNF alpha, and reconstitution of this cascade in a cell-free system, support the concept that the sphingomyelin pathway serves to signal TNF alpha-induced monocytic differentiation. Hence, the sphingomyelin pathway may represent a signaling system analogous to more well-defined systems such as the cyclic adenosine monophosphate and phosphoinositide pathways.
Mol Chem Neuropathol
PMID:Signal transduction through the sphingomyelin pathway. 808 39

We investigated several indices involved in sphingomyelin metabolism in developing rat lung. The levels of sphingomyelin gradually increased during lung maturation, with highest levels observed postnatally. The content of sphingosine and ceramide, biologically active sphingomyelin degradation products, did not significantly change in microsomes during the prenatal period, but increased to peak levels in neonatal and adult lung, respectively. Sphingosine content increased 6-fold between the fetal (Day 21) and neonatal period. The developmental profiles of two enzymes involved in sphingomyelin synthesis, serine palmitoyltransferase and sphingomyelin synthase, were similar. Serine palmitoyltransferase activity increased progressively from the fetal to neonatal period, and plateaued at high levels in the adult lung. The activity of serine palmitoyltransferase correlated with the levels of endogenous sphingolipid in lung tissue. Sphingomyelin synthase activity also increased during fetal lung development, but attained highest levels at Day 21 gestation; postnatally, enzyme activity was detected at lower levels. The activities of the sphingolipid hydrolases, acid and neutral sphingomyelinase and acid and alkaline ceramidase, were elevated in fetal lung, thereafter declining to low levels after birth. Studies conducted in alveolar macrophages, fibroblasts, and alveolar type II epithelial cells revealed that these developmental changes in enzyme activities in lung tissue were also occuring globally at the cellular level and were not restricted to any specific cell population. These studies suggest that the developmental increase in lung sphingomyelin content is due to coordinate regulation of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis and degradation of sphingomyelin. These observations also suggest a regulatory role for serine palmitoyltransferase in the generation of long chain sphingoid bases.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1997 May
PMID:Sphingomyelin metabolism is developmentally regulated in rat lung. 916 Aug 43

We have investigated the presence of neutral sphingomyelinases present in rabbit skeletal muscle fractions. Neutral sphingomyelinase activity measurements and immunoblot analysis of various skeletal muscle fractions indicated that most of the neutral sphingomyelinase was associated with the junctional transverse tubules. Activity gel analysis of the detergent solubilized transverse tubule fraction revealed two distinct bands corresponding to molecular weight on the order of approximately 92 and 53 kDa. Moreover, monospecific antibody raised against pure neutral sphingomyelinase recognized both the 53 and the 92 kDa protein. Peptide mapping studies revealed that both neutral sphingomyelinase isoforms were similar. Moreover, both the enzymes catalyzed the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin to phosphocholine and ceramide. Lithium stimulated and Cu2+ inhibited the activity of both of the enzyme isoforms. However, the 53 kDa isoform was insensitive to activation by Mg2+, and thus differed from the 92 kDa isoform of neutral sphingomyelinase. The localization of neutral sphingomyelinase in skeletal muscle transverse tubule membrane is consistent with transverse tubule production of the sphingomyelin-derived second messenger, sphingosine. Since sphingosine has been shown to modulate calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes (Sabbadini et al. (1992) J Biol Chem 207: 15473-15684), our work suggests that neutral sphingomyelinase/sphingosine signaling system may be a physiologically relevant regulator of calcium levels in skeletal muscle.
Mol Cell Biochem 1998 Dec
PMID:Identification, partial purification, and localization of a neutral sphingomyelinase in rabbit skeletal muscle: neutral sphingomyelinase in skeletal muscle. 987 67

Anthracyclines such as daunorubicin (DNR) generate radical oxygen species (ROS), which account, at least in part, for their cytotoxic effect. We observed that early ceramide generation (within 6-10 min) through neutral sphingomyelinase stimulation was inhibitable by the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, which led to a decrease in apoptosis (>95% decrease in DNA fragmentation after 6 h). Furthermore, we observed that DNR triggers the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and the transcription factor activated protein-1 through an antioxidant-inhibitable mechanism. Treatment of U937 cells with cell-permeant ceramides induced both an increase in ROS generation and JNK activation, and apoptosis, all of which were antioxidant-sensitive. In conclusion, DNR-triggered apoptosis implicates a ceramide-mediated, ROS-dependent JNK and activated protein-1 activation.
Mol Pharmacol 1999 Nov
PMID:Implication of radical oxygen species in ceramide generation, c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation and apoptosis induced by daunorubicin. 1053 89

Previous work has demonstrated that down-regulation of ceramide production after selection of cells with N-oleoylethanolamine (OE), an inhibitor of ceramidase, results in resistance to DNA damage-induced apoptosis. We report here that acute exposure of WEHI-231 cells (murine B-cell lymphoma) to OE activates neutral sphingomyelinase, induces ceramide production and increases intracellular reactive oxygen species. OE exposure also induces mitochondrial permeability, cytochrome c release, and apoptosis. Cells selected for resistance to OE exhibit little if any change in reactive oxygen species and cytochrome c release when exposed either to OE or to toxic doses of ceramide. Importantly, the OE resistant cells are also resistant to ionizing radiation-induced cytochrome c release and apoptosis. These findings demonstrate that down-regulation of neutral sphingomyelinase activity is associated with decreased DNA-damage-induced apoptosis. In addition, the data suggests that agents that modify extranuclear targets responsible for ceramide production select for cells resistant to ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis through alterations in mitochondrial function.
Mol Pharmacol 2000 Apr
PMID:Down-regulation of ceramide production abrogates ionizing radiation-induced cytochrome c release and apoptosis. 1072 27

Lung epithelium plays a significant role in modulating the inflammatory response to lung injury. Airway epithelial cells are targeted by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and oxygen radicals, which are agents commonly produced during inflammatory processes. The mechanisms and molecular sites affected by H(2)O(2) are largely unknown but may involve the induction of sphingomyelin (SM) hydrolysis to generate ceramide, which serves as a second messenger in initiating an apoptotic response. Here we show that exposure of human airway epithelial (HAE) cells to 50 to 100 microM H(2)O(2) induces within 5 to 10 min a greater than 2-fold activation of neutral sphingomyelinase activity with concomitant SM hydrolysis, ceramide generation, and apoptosis. On the other hand, activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate inhibits both H(2)O(2)-induced ceramide production and apoptosis. The apoptotic response could be restored by the addition of 25 microM cell-permeant C6-ceramide. These findings indicate that ceramide, the product of SM hydrolysis, plays an important role in H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis in HAE cells, and that PKC counteracts ceramide-mediated apoptosis in these cells. We suggest that the mediation of epithelial cell apoptosis by ceramide and its inhibition by PKC constitute a central mechanism by which inflammatory processes are modulated in the epithelium of the lung.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2000 Apr
PMID:Ceramide path in human lung cell death. 1074 27

The role of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), p38, and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression was studied in NCI-H292 epithelial cells. TNF-alpha-mediated COX-2 expression and COX-2 promoter activity were inhibited by the MAPK kinase inhibitor PD98059 or the p38 inhibitor SB203580. Treatment of cells for 10 min with TNF-alpha resulted in activation of p44/42 MAPK, p38, and JNK. C2-ceramide (a cell-permeable ceramide analog), bacterial neutral sphingomyelinase (Smase; an enzyme that degrades sphingomyelin to ceramide), and N-oleoylethanolamine (a ceramidase inhibitor) all induced activation of MAPKs, COX-2 expression, nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB DNA-protein binding, and COX-2 promoter activity. The inactive analog, dihydro-C2-ceramide, had no effect. SMase- or C2-ceramide-induced COX-2 expression and COX-2 promoter activity were also inhibited by PD98059 or SB203580. Glutathione, a neutral SMase inhibitor, attenuated TNF-alpha- or SMase-induced activation of MAPKs, COX-2 expression, and COX-2 promoter activity. TNF-alpha- or C2-ceramide-induced COX-2 promoter activity was inhibited by the dominant negative mutant of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2, p38, JNK, IkappaB kinase (IKK)1, or IKK2. IKK activity was stimulated by either TNF-alpha or C2-ceramide, and these effects were inhibited by PD98059 or SB203580. All these results suggest that, in NCI-H292 epithelial cells, activation of MAPKs by ceramide contributes to the TNF-alpha signaling that occurs downstream of neutral SMase activation and results in the stimulation of IKK1/2, and NF-kappaB in the COX-2 promoter, followed by initiation of COX-2 expression.
Mol Pharmacol 2001 Mar
PMID:Tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression via sequential activation of ceramide-dependent mitogen-activated protein kinases, and IkappaB kinase 1/2 in human alveolar epithelial cells. 1117 44

Stroke is a major cause of long-term disability, the severity of which is directly related to the numbers of neurons that succumb to the ischemic insult. The signaling cascades activated by cerebral ischemia that may either promote or protect against neuronal death are not well understood. One injury-responsive signaling pathway that has recently been characterized in studies of non-neural cells involves cleavage of membrane sphingomyelin by acidic and/or neutral sphingomyelinase (ASMase) resulting in generation of the second messenger ceramide. We now report that transient focal cerebral ischemia induces large increases in ASMase activity, ceramide levels, and production of inflammatory cytokines in wild-type mice, but not in mice lacking ASMase. The extent of brain tissue damage is decreased and behavioral outcome improved in mice lacking ASMase. Neurons lacking ASMase exhibit decreased vulnerability to excitotoxicity and hypoxia, which is associated with decreased levels of intracellular calcium and oxyradicals. Treatment of mice with a drug that inhibits ASMase activity and ceramide production reduces ischemic neuronal injury and improves behavioral outcome, suggesting that drugs that inhibit this signaling pathway may prove beneficial in stroke patients.
J Mol Neurosci 2000 Oct
PMID:Pivotal role for acidic sphingomyelinase in cerebral ischemia-induced ceramide and cytokine production, and neuronal apoptosis. 1122 Jul 88

We investigated the functional roles of ceramide, an intracellular lipid mediator, in cell signaling pathways by monitoring the intracellular movement of protein kinase C (PKC) subtypes fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) in HeLa living cells. C(2)-ceramide but not C(2)-dihydroceramide induced translocation of delta PKC-GFP to the Golgi complex, while alpha PKC- and zeta PKC-GFP did not respond to ceramide. The Golgi-associated delta PKC-GFP induced by ceramide was further translocated to the plasma membrane by phorbol ester treatment. Ceramide itself accumulated to the Golgi complex where delta PKC was translocated by ceramide. Gamma interferon also induced the delta PKC-specific translocation from the cytoplasm to the Golgi complex via the activation of Janus kinase and Mg(2+)-dependent neutral sphingomyelinase. Photobleaching studies showed that ceramide does not evoke tight binding of delta PKC-GFP to the Golgi complex but induces the continuous association and dissociation of delta PKC with the Golgi complex. Ceramide inhibited the kinase activity of delta PKC-GFP in the presence of phosphatidylserine and diolein in vitro, while the kinase activity of delta PKC-GFP immunoprecipitated from ceramide-treated cells was increased. The immunoprecipitated delta PKC-GFP was tyrosine phosphorylated after ceramide treatment. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor abolished the ceramide-induced activation and tyrosine phosphorylation of delta PKC-GFP. These results suggested that gamma interferon stimulation followed by ceramide generation through Mg(2+)-dependent sphingomyelinase induced delta PKC-specific translocation to the Golgi complex and that translocation results in delta PKC activation through tyrosine phosphorylation of the enzyme.
Mol Cell Biol 2001 Mar
PMID:Subtype-specific translocation of the delta subtype of protein kinase C and its activation by tyrosine phosphorylation induced by ceramide in HeLa cells. 1123 14


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