众所周知, 鞘脂是生物膜结构的重要组成成分, 随着鞘脂在动物和酵母中的深入研究发现, 鞘脂及其代谢产物是一类很重要的活性分子, 它们参与调节细胞的生长、分化、衰老和细胞程序性死亡等许多重要的信号转导过程。鞘脂在植物中的研究最近几年才开始, 植物鞘脂的功能还不十分清楚。最近的研究发现, 鞘脂及其代谢产物在植物中也起着很重要的信号分子作用。该文详细总结了鞘脂在植物中的结构、代谢途径和主要生物学功能, 并结合实验室的工作对植物鞘脂的功能研究进行了展望。

Sphingolipids are ubiquitous membrane components in eukaryotic cells and in a few bacteria. Recent information indicated that sphingolipids are an impor tant class of messenger molecules involved in many significant signal trans duction pathways, regulating cell growth, differentiation, senescence, and apoptosis in mammals and yeast. However, the biological function of sphingolipids in plants has been explored only recently and remains elusive. Increasing investigation has shown that sphingolipids and their metabolites play an important role in plants. In this review, we describe the structure, metabolic pathway and biological function of sphingolipids.