Fluorescent Sphingomyelins
Fluorescent standards have been developed that can be detected in cultures and biological systems, making them ideal for studies involving the metabolism of sphingolipids. These products are very advantageous for determining the localization of various sphingolipids in membranes and organelles.1 The NBD fluorescent group attached to hexanoic acid has been shown to be readily taken up by cells and used in the biosynthesis of more complex sphingolipids.2
Reference:
- Merrill, A.H. Jr., "Sphingolipid and Glycosphingolipid Metabolic Pathways in the Era of Sphingolipidomics" Chemical Reviews, Vol. 111 pp. 6387-6422, 2011
- Lipsky, N., Pagano, R., "Intracellular translocation of fluorescent sphingolipids in cultured fibroblasts: endogenously synthesized sphingomyelin and glucocerebroside analogues pass through the Golgi apparatus en route to the plasma membrane" Journal of Cell Biology, Vol. 100 pp. 27-34, 1985