D-Sphingosine

D-Sphingosine is a characteristic structural unit of many sphingolipids such as ceramides, gangliosides, globosides, sulfatides, sphingomyelin, and others. It is most abundant in nervous tissue and cell membranes. Sphingosine with an 18-carbon chain and a double bond at carbon 4 is the most abundant sphingosine in animal tissues. D-Sphingosine inhibits protein kinase C and phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase, whereas it activates phospholipase D, diacylglycerol (DAG) kinase and the cation channel TRPM3. Phosphorylation of sphingosine by sphingosine kinases 1 and 2 (SPHK 1, SPHK 2) produces sphingosine-1-phosphate, a potent bioactive lipid that exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activities including cell proliferation, survival, migration, cytoskeletal organization and morphogenesis.