Biochem/physiol Actions
Phytosphingosine is a long chain sphingoid base that occurs broadly in yeast, plants and animals including mammals. In yeast it is involved in mediating the heat stress response, perhaps through activation of the AGC-type protein kinases, Pkh1, Pkh2, Ypk1, Ypk2, and Sch9. It is proapoptotic in human cancer cell lines. PHS induces ΔΨm and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria either directly or through activation of p38 MAPK pathway. This leads to activation of caspase 9 followed by activation of caspase 3 and programmed cell death. |