Role of sulfatide in normal and pathological cells and tissues

which is the precursor of sulfatide, is transported to the Golgi apparatus. Then sulfatide is fi nally synthesized by 3-O -sulfation of the galactose residue through 3 phosphoadenosine-5 -phosphosulfate:cerebroside sulfotransferase (CST; EC 2. 8. 2. 11) CST has been reported to be a homodimeric protein localized to a late Golgi apparatus ( 5 ). Sulfatide exhibits various structures, including different lengths of the acyl chain and ceramide moiety, which can be hydroxylated, as well as other sphingolipids. Some ceramide moieties have been characterized by MALDI-TOF MS from sulfatide in the rat spinal cord, lung, colon, and stomach. In detail, the major sulfatide is composed of ceramides possessing 4-sphingenine (d18:1) with C22 hydroxy FAs (C22:0 h), C23:0 h, C24:0 h, and C24:1 h and with C24 normal FAs (C24:0) and C24:1 ( Fig. The minor sulfatide is composed of ceramides possessing d18:1 with C16:0, C16:0 h, C18:0, C18:0 h, C20:0, C21:0, C22:1, C22:0, C21:0 h, C23:0, C26:1, and C26:0 and phytosphingosine (t18:0) with C20:0 h and C24:0 h. The FA compositions of sulfatide are dependent on specifi c tissues. For example, d18:1-C16:0 h exists in the rat stomach and t18:0-C24:0 h exists in the rat colon ( 6 ). In human serous papillary ovarian carcinoma tissues, sulfatide with FAs C22:0 and C24:0 at the ceramide moiety is clearly increased compared with that in normal ovarian stromal tissue ( 7 ). Seminolipid, 3-O -sulfo monogalactosylalkylacylglycerol, is also synthesized from alkylacylglycerol by CGT and CST. Seminolipid is synthesized in spermatocytes and Abstract Sulfatide is 3-O -sulfogalactosylceramide that is synthesized by two transferases (ceramide galactosyltransferase and cerebroside sulfotransferase) from ceramide and is specifi cally degraded by a sulfatase (arylsulfatase A). Sulfatide is a multifunctional molecule for various biological fi elds including the nervous system, insulin secretion, immune system, hemostasis/thrombosis, bacterial infection, and virus infection. Therefore, abnormal metabolism or expression change of sulfatide could cause various diseases. Here, we discuss the important biological roles of sulfatide in the nervous system, insulin secretion, immune system, hemostasis/thrombosis, cancer, and microbial infections including human immunodefi ciency virus and infl uenza A virus. Our review will be helpful to achieve a comprehensive understanding of sulfatide, which serves as a fundamental target of prevention of and therapy for nervous disorders, diabetes mellitus, immunological diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases .