Skip to content
ceramides
EntityQ424213· pop 31· linked from 248 articles

Also known as ceramide

thumb|Ceramide. R represents the alkyl portion of a fatty acid. thumb|class=skin-invert|upright=2|General structures of sphingolipids Ceramides are a family of waxy lipid molecules. A ceramide is composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid joined by an amide bond. Ceramides are found in high concentrations within the cell membrane of eukaryotic cells, since they are component lipids that make up sphingomyelin, one of the major lipids in the lipid bilayer. Contrary to previous assumptions that ceramides and other sphingolipids found in cell membrane were purely supporting structural elements, cera

Research

27,001 papers

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Show 3 more facts
isomeric SMILES
O[C@H]([*])[C@H](C[*])NC([*])=O
chemical formula
C₃₆H₇₁NO₃
Commons category
Ceramides
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~12 min read

Article

17 sections
Contents
  • Pathways for ceramide synthesis
  • Sphingomyelin hydrolysis
  • De novo
  • Salvage pathway
  • Physiological roles
  • Pathology
  • Apoptosis
  • Skin
  • Hormonal
  • Substances known to induce ceramide generation
  • Mechanism by which ceramide signaling occurs
  • Related diseases
  • Uses
  • Ceramide in bacteria
  • Ceramide phosphoethanolamine
  • References
  • External links

thumb|Ceramide. R represents the alkyl portion of a fatty acid. thumb|class=skin-invert|upright=2|General structures of sphingolipids Ceramides are a family of waxy lipid molecules. A ceramide is composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid joined by an amide bond. Ceramides are found in high concentrations within the cell membrane of eukaryotic cells, since they are component lipids that make up sphingomyelin, one of the major lipids in the lipid bilayer. Contrary to previous assumptions that ceramides and other sphingolipids found in cell membrane were purely supporting structural elements, ceramide can participate in a variety of cellular signaling: examples include regulating differentiation, proliferation, and programmed cell death (PCD) of cells.

The word ceramide comes from the Latin cera (wax) and amide. Ceramide is a component of vernix caseosa, the waxy or cheese-like white substance found coating the skin of newborn human infants.

Gallery (3)

Connections

Categories