INHIBITION OF SPHINGOLIPID SYNTHESIS - EFFECTS ON GLYCOSPHINGOLIPID-GPI-ANCHORED PROTEIN MICRODOMAINS

The idea that the transport and sorting of glycosylphosphatidylinosito l (GPI)-anchored proteins depends on their interaction with glycosphin golipids was first proposed five or six years ago. Until recently, onl y circumstantial evidence was available to support this suggestion. Du ring the past year, compelling support for this hypothesis has been pr ovided by observations that inhibition of sphingolipid synthesis reduc es the rate of transport of GPI-anchored proteins in yeast, and abolis hes the polarized sorting of a GPI-anchored protein in epithelia.