Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Acharya JK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2271043 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Acharya Jairaj K JK Dasgupta Ujjaini U Rawat Satinder S SS Yuan Changqing C Sanxaridis Parthena D PD Yonamine Ikuko I Karim Pusha P Nagashima Kunio K Brodsky Michael H MH Tsunoda Susan S Acharya Usha U
Neuron 20080101 1
Neutral ceramidase, a key enzyme of sphingolipid metabolism, hydrolyzes ceramide to sphingosine. These sphingolipids are critical structural components of cell membranes and act as second messengers in diverse signal transduction cascades. Here, we have isolated and characterized functional null mutants of Drosophila ceramidase. We show that secreted ceramidase functions in a cell-nonautonomous manner to maintain photoreceptor homeostasis. In the absence of ceramidase, photoreceptors degenerate ...[more]