Sulfatides are
sphingolipids commonly found at the surface of most of eukaryotic cells.
Sulfatides are not just structural components of the plasma membrane but also participate in a wide range of cellular processes including protein trafficking, cell adhesion and aggregation, axon-myelin interactions, neural plasticity, and immune responses, among others. The intriguing question is how can
sulfatides trigger such cellular processes? Their dynamic presence and specific localization at plasma membrane sites may explain their multitasking role. Crystal and NMR structural studies have provided the basis for understanding the mechanism of binding by
sulfatide-interacting
proteins. These
proteins generally exhibit a hydrophobic cavity that is responsible for the interaction with the
sulfatide acyl chain, whereas the hydrophilic, negatively charged moiety can be found either buried in the hydrophobic cavity of the
protein or exposed for additional intermolecular associations. Since
sulfatides vary in their acyl chain composition, which are tissue-dependent, more emphasis on understanding acyl chain specificity by
sulfatide-
binding proteins is warranted. Importantly, changes in cellular
sulfatide levels as well as circulating
sulfatides in serum directly impact cardiovascular and
cancer disease development and progress. Therefore,
sulfatides might prove useful as novel
biomarkers. The scope of this review is to overview cell functions and mechanisms of
sulfatide recognition to better understand the role of these
lipids in health and disease.