Evolutionary conservation analysis of human sphingomyelin metabolism pathway genes.

Sphingomyelin is an important member of the sphingolipid family and was first reported more than a century ago. It has been demonstrated that sphingomyelin plays a crucial role in compositing cell membranes and signaling pathways. Despite extensive functional studies on the sphingolipid metabolism pathway genes, one intriguing question remains: how does the emergence of these genes during evolution correlate with the acquisition of new functions in different species? By employing an evolutionary conservation analysis, the sequence of occurrence of biological processes during evolutionary history can be elucidated. Here we summarize and analyze the conservation status of the genes involved in sphingomyelin metabolism.