The role of 3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide, sulfatide, in the lateral organization of myelin membrane

Sulfatide (3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide, SM4s)
was isolated by Thudichum from the human brain in 1884.
Together with galactosylceramide, its direct metabolic
precursor in the biosynthetic pathway, sulfatide is highly
enriched in myelin in the central and peripheral nervous
system, and it has been implicated in several aspects of the
biology of myelin-forming cells. Studies obtained using
galactolipid-deficient mice strongly support the notion that
sulfatide plays critical roles in the correct structure and
function of myelin membrane. A number of papers are
suggesting that these roles are mediated by a specific
function of sulfatide in the lateral organization of myelin
membrane, thus affecting the sorting, lateral assembly,
membrane dynamics and also the function of specific
myelin proteins in different substructures of the myelin
sheath. The consequences of altered sulfatide metabolism
and sulfatide-mediated myelin organization with respect to
myelin diseases are still poorly understood, but it’s very
likely that sulfatide might represent not only a critical
player in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including
multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, but also a
potentially promising therapeutic target.