The crosstalk between glycosphingolipids and neural stem cells

The exclusive role of protein/DNA interaction in cell function has been recently challenged. Other cellular components such as glycosphingolipids (GSLs) might have an important role in regulating cell function. Indeed, until a few years ago, the membranes present in the cell were considered as no more than a supportive or delimiting structure. Due to their central role in vertebrate neural development, neural stem cells regulation is of paramount interest in particular regarding their implications in neurological pathologies. In this review, we describe the importance of GSLs in neural stem cells features such as self ‐renewal ability and differentiation fate. AbstractUntil a few years ago, the majority of cell functions were envisioned as the result of protein and DNA activity. The cell membranes were considered as a mere structure of support and/or separation. In the last years, the function of cell membranes has, however, received more attention and their components of lipid nature have also been depicted as important cell mediators and the membrane organization was described as an important determinant for membrane ‐anchored proteins activity. In particular, because of their high diversity, glycosphingolipids offer a wide possibility of regulation. Specifically, the role of glycosphingolipids, in the fine‐tuning of neuron activity, has recently received deep attention. For their pivotal role in vertebrate and mammals neural development, neural stem cells regulation ...

Source: Journal of Neurochemistry - December 3, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Daniele Bottai, Raffaella Adami, Riccardo Ghidoni Tags: Review Source Type: research