Acid sphingomyelinase activation

Cheng, Y., Kozubek, A., Ohlsson, L., Sternby, B., and Duan, R.D., Curcumin decreases acid sphingomyelinase activity in colon cancer Caco-2 cells, Planta Med, 73 (2007) 725-730. 

Brenner, B., Ferlinz, K., Grassme, H., WeUer, M., Koppenhoefer, U., Dichgans, J., Sandhoff, K. Lang, F. and Gulbins, E., 1998, Fas/CD95/Apo-l activates the acidic sphingomyelinase via caspases. Cell Death Dijfer. 5 29-37... 

Chatterjee, M. and Wu, S., 2001, Involvement of Fas receptor and not tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor in ultraviolet-induced activation of acid sphingomyelinase. Mol. Carcinog. 30 47-55. 

Samet, D., and Barenholz, Y., 1999, Characterization of acidic and neutral sphingomyelinase activities in crude extracts of HL-60 cells. Chem Phys Lipids 102 65-77. 

Injury to cell plasma membrane can activate acid sphingomyelinase to break down membrane lipid sphingomyelin and generate the second messenger ceramide, a complex lipid, to initiate the apoptosis (HI). Ceramide, perhaps through intracellular mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), can alter cellular susceptibility to TNF-a, FasL, and ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis (HI, Wll). 

Rotolo JA, Zhang J, Donepudi M, Lee H, Fuks Z, Kolesnick R. Caspase-dependent and -independent activation of acid sphingomyelinase signahng. J. Biol. Chem. 2005 280 26425-26434. 

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