The overall goals of this research proposal are to define specific pathways of sphingolipid metabolism, define specific roles, define mechanisms, and help place the field of bioactive lipids on solid mechanistic grounds. Based on strong ongoing data, we propose the overall hypothesis that individual enzymes of ceramide metabolism serve as transducers of specific inputs, and the product bioactive sphingolipids function to mediate key responses. This proposal will develop this paradigm in the case of the DNA damage response and other stimuli activating neutral sphingomyelinases in distinct compartments leading to formation of ceramide which acts primarily in a cell cycle checkpoint. We propose the following specific goals: 1. What are the mechanisms involved in induction of nSMase2 and Isc1? 2. How are nSMase2 and Isc1 activated in the nucleus? Is there a specific role for nuclear PIP2? 3. Define mechanisms of regulation and the structure of neutral sphingomyelinases 4. What is the structure of lipids in the nucleus? 5. What is the specific function of nSMase2 (and Isc1) in checkpoints? 6. Do nuclear phosphatases mediate the action of nuclear ceramide; what are the mechanisms involved? 7. Define parallel pathways of bioactive sphingolipids in yeast. Taken together, we endeavor to advance our understanding of bioactive sphingolipids and reduce its complexities to manageable and specific components that promise to shed important light on how these specific pathways function, and their specific roles in stress responses. The ongoing results are defining a totally unexpected role for neutral sphingomyelinases in the eukaryotic DNA damage response through a nuclear lipid-mediated pathway.

Public Health Relevance

Sphingolipids are a class of fatty molecules that have been thought to serve primarily as structural molecules in formation of cell membranes. Our work identified specific functions for individual sphingolipids, thus leading to their appreciation as 'bioactive molecules'. In this proposal we focus on key enzymes of sphingolipid metabolism with important functions in cell stress responses. We define a critical role in their roles in the integrity of their DNA and how cells respond to DNA damage. In the process of defining these pathways and mechanisms, we tackle some of the most recalcitrant problems in understanding these pathways.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Unknown (R35)
Project #
3R35GM118128-01S1
Application #
9299278
Study Section
Program Officer
Chin, Jean
Project Start
2016-06-01
Project End
2021-05-31
Budget Start
2016-06-01
Budget End
2017-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
$106,241
Indirect Cost
Name
State University New York Stony Brook
Department
Family Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
804878247
City
Stony Brook
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
11794
Rego, António; Cooper, Katrina F; Snider, Justin et al. (2018) Acetic acid induces Sch9p-dependent translocation of Isc1p from the endoplasmic reticulum into mitochondria. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 1863:576-583
Hannun, Yusuf A; Obeid, Lina M (2018) Sphingolipids and their metabolism in physiology and disease. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 19:175-191
Ren, Jihui; Snider, Justin; Airola, Michael V et al. (2018) Quantification of 3-ketodihydrosphingosine using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS to study SPT activity in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Lipid Res 59:162-170
Vilaça, Rita; Barros, Ivo; Matmati, Nabil et al. (2018) The ceramide activated protein phosphatase Sit4 impairs sphingolipid dynamics, mitochondrial function and lifespan in a yeast model of Niemann-Pick type C1. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 1864:79-88
Xu, Ruijuan; Garcia-Barros, Monica; Wen, Sally et al. (2018) Tumor suppressor p53 links ceramide metabolism to DNA damage response through alkaline ceramidase 2. Cell Death Differ 25:841-856
Trayssac, Magali; Hannun, Yusuf A; Obeid, Lina M (2018) Role of sphingolipids in senescence: implication in aging and age-related diseases. J Clin Invest 128:2702-2712
Snider, Justin M; Snider, Ashley J; Obeid, Lina M et al. (2018) Probing de novo sphingolipid metabolism in mammalian cells utilizing mass spectrometry. J Lipid Res 59:1046-1057
Chen, Jennifer Y; Newcomb, Benjamin; Zhou, Chan et al. (2017) Tricyclic Antidepressants Promote Ceramide Accumulation to Regulate Collagen Production in Human Hepatic Stellate Cells. Sci Rep 7:44867
Senkal, Can E; Salama, Mohamed F; Snider, Ashley J et al. (2017) Ceramide Is Metabolized to Acylceramide and Stored in Lipid Droplets. Cell Metab 25:686-697
Airola, Michael V; Shanbhogue, Prajna; Shamseddine, Achraf A et al. (2017) Structure of human nSMase2 reveals an interdomain allosteric activation mechanism for ceramide generation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:E5549-E5558

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