Regulation of Galactosylceramide Biosynthesis

• Main Author: Kollmeyer, Jessica Elaine
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: Georgia Institute of Technology 2006
• Subjects: Galacotsylceramide; Glycosphingolipids; Sphingolipids
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1853/11630

An important branchpoint of mammalian sphingolipid metabolism occurs at the step where ceramides are glycosylated to glucosylceramide (GlcCer) versus galactosylceramide (GalCer), which are precursors of all mammalian glycosphingolipids. Relatively few studies have focused on this branchpoint because these monohexosylceramides are somewhat difficult to resolve chromatographically and because molecular biology tools have only recently become available to follow expression of these genes. The goal of this thesis is to better understand the mechanisms of cell regulation determining galactosylceramide synthesis.