Lipid-derived molecules are increasingly appreciated as key regulators of cell responses and signal transduction. Sphingolipid-derived bioactive molecules are emerging as critical regulators of some of the most exciting and, until recently, poorly-understood areas of biology such as growth suppression, programmed cell death and tumor invasion. Written by leading investigators in these areas of study, this book presents a thorough, current and accessible review of how sphingolipids function to regulate these important activities.

1. Introduction and Overview

2. Ceramide: A Stress Response Mediator Involved in Growth Suppression
3. Ceramide and Inflammation
4. A Role for Ceramide in Meiosis
5. Ceramide, Aging and Cellular Senescence
6. Ceramide, a Mediator of Cytosine Arabinoside Induced Apoptosis
7. The Use of Cerebroside Synthase Inhibitors as Probes for Assessing the Metabolism and Function of Sphingolipids
8. Role of Sphingolipids in Regulating the Phospholipase D Pathway and Cell Division
9. Sphingosine-l-Phosphate: Member of a New Class of Lipid Second Messengers
10. Functional Roles of Glycosphingolipids and Sphingolipids in Signal Transduction
11. Ceramide Synthase and Ceramidases in the Regulation of Sphingoid Base Metabolism
12. Ceramidase and Signal Transduction.