Voelzmann André, Bauer Reinhard
Biomol Concepts. 2010 Dec 1;1(5-6):411-22. doi: 10.1515/bmc.2010.028.
The ceramide synthase (CerS) gene family comprises a group of highly conserved transmembrane proteins, which are found in all studied eukaryotes. The key feature of the CerS proteins is their role in ceramide synthase activity. Therefore, their original name 'longevity assurance gene (Lass) homologs', after the founding member, the yeast longevity assurance gene lag1, was altered to 'CerS'. All CerS have high sequence similarity in a domain called LAG1 motif and a subset of CerS proteins is predicted to contain a Homeobox (Hox) domain. These domains could be the key to the multiple roles CerS have. CerS proteins play a role in diverse biological processes such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, stress response, cancer, and neurodegeneration. In this review, we focus on CerS structure and biological function with emphasis of biological functions in the widely used model systems Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. Also, we focus on the accumulating data suggesting a role for CerS in lipid homeostasis.
神经酰胺合酶（CerS）基因家族由一组高度保守的跨膜蛋白组成，在所有已研究的真核生物中均有发现。CerS蛋白的关键特征在于它们在神经酰胺合酶活性中所起的作用。因此，它们最初的名称“长寿保证基因（Lass）同源物”，在其创始成员——酵母长寿保证基因lag1之后，被改为“CerS”。所有CerS在一个称为LAG1基序的结构域中具有高度的序列相似性，并且预测一部分CerS蛋白含有同源异型框（Hox）结构域。这些结构域可能是CerS发挥多种作用的关键。CerS蛋白在多种生物学过程中发挥作用，如增殖、分化、凋亡、应激反应、癌症和神经退行性变。在本综述中，我们重点关注CerS的结构和生物学功能，尤其强调其在广泛使用的模型系统秀丽隐杆线虫和黑腹果蝇中的生物学功能。此外，我们还关注越来越多的数据表明CerS在脂质稳态中的作用。
