Ceramidase

Function

CerN is an enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of the Sphingolipid at the , producing .^{[1] [2]} CerN cleaves the N-acyl linkage within ceramides via zinc-dependent hydrolysis and the enzyme is also capable of synthesizing ceramide from sphingosine and palmitic acid by the reverse mechanism.^{[1] [3]} The zinc ion within the is coordinated by His97, His204, Glu411, Tyr448, and a water molecule. His97 and Tyr448 are required for zinc binding within the active site. Ligand binding within the active site is recognized by Gly25, His99, Arg160, and Tyr460. ^[1] Ser27 and Gly25 stabilize ceramide within the active site by forming a water-mediated hydrogen bond with the central OH of ceramide, and the carbonyl oxygen is stabilized by the Tyr448 and Tyr460. Upon ligand binding, CerN enters the conformation. ^[1] His99 and Arg160 function in the catalysis of ceramide hydrolysis, as they deprotonate their coordinated water molecule to produce a hydroxide ion. The carbonyl carbon of ceramide undergoes a nucleophilic attack by the hydroxide ion. The carbonyl oxygen stabilized by Tyr448 and Tyr460 is then passed to the zinc ion, allowing for the breakage of the N-acyl linkage. Sphingosine is then released from the active site while the fatty acid remains bound to the zinc ion until it is replaced by a new water molecule, shifting CerN into the conformation. The synthesis of ceramide from palmitate and sphingosine occurs via the same mechanism but in reverse. ^[1]

Refs ^[1], ^[2] , ^[3]

Disease

p^[1]

Relevance

p

Structural highlights

This is a sample scene created with SAT to by Group, and another to make of the protein. You can make your own scenes on SAT starting from scratch or loading and editing one of these sample scenes.