Reaction: a very-long-chain fatty acyl-CoA + a sphingoid base = a very-long-chain ceramide + CoA
Glossary: a sphingoid base = an amino alcohol, composed predominantly of 18 carbon atoms, characterized by the presence of a hydroxyl group at C-1 (and often also at C-3), and an amine group at C-2.
Other name(s): sphingoid base N-very-long-chain fatty acyl-CoA transferase; mammalian ceramide synthase 2; CERS3 (gene name); LASS3 (gene name); LAG1 (gene name); LAC1 (gene name); LOH1 (gene name); LOH3 (gene name)
Systematic name: very-long-chain fatty acyl-CoA:sphingoid base N-acyltransferase
Comments: This entry describes ceramide synthase enzymes that are specific for very-long-chain fatty acyl-CoA substrates. The two isoforms from yeast and the plant LOH1 and LOH3 isoforms transfer 24:0 and 26:0 acyl chains preferentially and use phytosphingosine as the preferred sphingoid base. The mammalian CERS2 isoform is specific for acyl donors of 20-26 carbons, which can be saturated or unsaturated. The mammalian CERS3 isoform catalyses this activity, but has a broader substrate range and also catalyses the activity of EC 2.3.1.298, ultra-long-chain ceramide synthase. Both mammalian enzymes can use multiple sphingoid bases, including sphinganine, sphingosine, and phytosphingosine.
Links to other databases: BRENDA, EXPASY, KEGG, MetaCyc, PDB, CAS registry number:
References:
1. Guillas, I., Kirchman, P.A., Chuard, R., Pfefferli, M., Jiang, J.C., Jazwinski, S.M. and Conzelmann, A. C26-CoA-dependent ceramide synthesis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is operated by Lag1p and Lac1p. EMBO J. 20 (2001) 2655-2665. [PMID: 11387200]
2. Pan, H., Qin, W.X., Huo, K.K., Wan, D.F., Yu, Y., Xu, Z.G., Hu, Q.D., Gu, K.T., Zhou, X.M., Jiang, H.Q., Zhang, P.P., Huang, Y., Li, Y.Y. and Gu, J.R. Cloning, mapping, and characterization of a human homologue of the yeast longevity assurance gene LAG1. Genomics 77 (2001) 58-64. [PMID: 11543633]
3. Schorling, S., Vallee, B., Barz, W.P., Riezman, H. and Oesterhelt, D. Lag1p and Lac1p are essential for the Acyl-CoA-dependent ceramide synthase reaction in Saccharomyces cerevisae. Mol. Biol. Cell 12 (2001) 3417-3427. [PMID: 11694577]
4. Mizutani, Y., Kihara, A. and Igarashi, Y. Mammalian Lass6 and its related family members regulate synthesis of specific ceramides. Biochem. J. 390 (2005) 263-271. [PMID: 15823095]
5. Laviad, E.L., Albee, L., Pankova-Kholmyansky, I., Epstein, S., Park, H., Merrill, A.H., Jr. and Futerman, A.H. Characterization of ceramide synthase 2: tissue distribution, substrate specificity, and inhibition by sphingosine 1-phosphate. J. Biol. Chem 283 (2008) 5677-5684. [PMID: 18165233]
6. Imgrund, S., Hartmann, D., Farwanah, H., Eckhardt, M., Sandhoff, R., Degen, J., Gieselmann, V., Sandhoff, K. and Willecke, K. Adult ceramide synthase 2 (CERS2)-deficient mice exhibit myelin sheath defects, cerebellar degeneration, and hepatocarcinomas. J. Biol. Chem 284 (2009) 33549-33560. [PMID: 19801672]