What is "sulfatide"

n. (context chemistry English) sulfates of glycosphingolipids

Sulfatide, also known as 3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide, SM4, or sulfated galactocerebroside, is a class of sulfolipids, specifically a class of sulfoglycolipids, which are glycolipids that contain a sulfate group. Sulfatide is synthesized primarily starting in the endoplasmic reticulum and ending in the Golgi apparatus where ceramide is converted to galactocerebroside and later sulfated to make sulfatide. Of all of the galactolipids that are found in the myelin sheath, one fifth of them are sulfatide. Sulfatide is primarily found on the extracellular leaflet of the myelin plasma membrane produced by the oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system and in the Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system. However, sulfatide is also present on the extracellular leaflet of the plasma membrane of many cells in eukaryotic organisms.

Since sulfatide is a multifunctional molecule, it can be used in multiple biological areas. Aside from being a membrane component, sulfatide functions in protein trafficking, cell aggregation and adhesion, neural plasticity, memory, and glial-axon interactions. Sulfatide also plays a role in several physiological processes and systems including, the nervous system, the immune system, insulin secretion, blood clotting, viral infection, and bacterial infection. As a result, sulfatide is associated with, able to bind to, and/or is present in kidney tissues, cancer cells/ tissues, the surface of red blood cells and platelets, CD1 a-d cells in the immune system, many bacteria cells, several viruses, myelin, neurons, and astrocytes.

An abnormal metabolism or change in the expression of sulfatide has also been associated with various pathologies including neuropathologies, such as metachromatic leukodystrophy, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's Disease. Sulfatide is also associated with diabetes mellitus, cancer metastasis, and viruses including HIV-1, influenza A virus, hepatitis C and vaccinia virus. Additionally, overexpression of sulfatide has been linked to epilepsy and audiogenic seizures as well as other pathological states in the nervous system.

Past and ongoing research continues to elucidate the many biological functions of sulfatide and their many implications as well as the pathology that has been associated with sulfatide. Most research utilizes mice models, but heterologous expression systems are utilized as well, including but not limited to, Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and COS-7 Cells.