Recently discovered functions of glucosylceramides in plants and fungi

Glycosphingolipids are ubiquitous membrane lipids of eukaryotic organisms and a few bacteria. Whereas inositol-containing glycosphingolipids are restricted to plants and fungi, galactosylceramide occurs only in fungi and animals. In contrast, glucosylceramide is the unique glycosphingolipid which plants, fungi and animals have in common. However, there are specific differences in the structure of the ceramide backbone of glucosylceramides from these organisms. A comparison of the structural features and the biosynthesis of glucosylceramides from plants, fungi and animals will contribute to our understanding of their functions, which so far have been analysed mainly in animals. The availability of nearly all genes involved in the biosynthesis of glucosylceramides enables the specific manipulation of glycosphingolipid metabolism by techniques of forward and reverse genetics. Application of this approach to unicellular organisms like yeasts, multicellular filamentous fungi, as well as to complex organisms like plants will reveal common and different glucosylceramide functions in these organisms. These glycolipids play a role both in intracellular processes and in cell-to-cell interactions. These interactions may occur between cells of a multicellular organism or between cells of different species, as in host-pathogen interactions.