Sphingosine

Sphingosine, also known as (4E)-sphingenine or sphing-4-enine, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as 1,2-aminoalcohols. These are organic compounds containing an alkyl chain with an amine group bound to the C1 atom and an alcohol group bound to the C2 atom. Sphingosine is an 18-carbon amino alcohol with an unsaturated hydrocarbon chain, which forms a primary part of sphingolipids. Sphingolipids are a class of cell membrane lipids that include sphingomyelin. Thus, sphingosine is considered to be a sphingoid base lipid. Sphingosine is a very hydrophobic molecule, practically insoluble (in water), and relatively neutral. Sphingosine is found in all living organisms ranging from bacteria to plants to humans. Sphingosine is synthesized from palmitoyl CoA and serine in a condensation required to yield dehydrosphingosine. Dehydrosphingosine is then reduced by NADPH to dihydrosphingosine (sphinganine), and finally oxidized by FAD to sphingosine. Within humans and other mammals, sphingosine participates in a number of enzymatic reactions. In particular, sphingosine can be converted into sphingosine 1-phosphate through its interaction with the enzyme sphingosine kinase 2. sphingosine 1-phosphate is an important signaling molecule. In addition, sphingosine can be biosynthesized from sphingosine 1-phosphate; which is mediated by the enzyme sphingosine-1-phosphate phosphatase 2. Sphingosine and its derivative sphinganine are the major bases of the sphingolipids in mammals. In humans, sphingosine is involved in globoid cell leukodystrophy.

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