Sphingosine

• D- erythro -2- aminooctadec -4-ene -1 ,3 -diol
• 2-amino -1 ,3- dihydroxy- 4 -trans- octadecene

White solid

Fixed

Poorly in chloroform (20 g · l-1 at 20 ° C)

Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available

Sphingosine is a mono-unsaturated amino alcohol, the molecules of 18 carbon atoms, an amino group and two hydroxyl groups exist. Sphingosine forms the backbone of sphingolipids, a class of membrane lipids, at which the amino group of sphingosine is linked with an amide linkage to a fatty acid.

A distinction in sphingolipids, ceramides, sphingomyelins, cerebrosides, gangliosides and sulfatides. They are found in the nervous tissue, they play an important role in signal transduction and interaction of individual cells.

Synthesis

Sphingosine is synthesized in the body from palmitoyl- CoA and serine.

First, palmitoyl- CoA and serine are condensed to 3 - Dehydrosphinganin. This is then reduced with the aid of NADPH to dihydrosphingosine ( sphinganine ), and then further oxidized using FAD to sphingosine.