Ceramide synthase 4 | |||||||
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Identifiers | |||||||
Symbol | CerS4 | ||||||
Alt. symbols | LASS4 | ||||||
NCBI gene | 79603 | ||||||
HGNC | 23747 | ||||||
OMIM | 615334 | ||||||
RefSeq | NM_024552.2 | ||||||
UniProt | Q9HA82 | ||||||
Other data | |||||||
EC number | 2.3.1.24 | ||||||
Locus | Chr. 19 p13.3 | ||||||
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Ceramide synthase 4 (CerS4) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the CERS4 gene and is one of the least studied of the ceramide synthases.
CerS4 synthesizes ceramides containing C18-22 fatty acids in a fumonisin B1-independent manner.[1] It is expressed at highest levels in skin, leukocytes, heart and liver, although at much lower levels than other ceramide synthases.[2]
CerS4 (TRH1) mRNA was found in all tissues and is strongly expressed in skin and muscle[1]
In a 2009 study of breast cancer, total ceramide synthase levels were increased in malignant tissue, and CerS4 was one of three ceramide synthases to show an increase in mRNA levels. A significant correlation was found between CerS4 and CerS2/CerS6 expression.[3][4] Unlike CerS1 and CerS5, CerS4 does not sensitize cells to chemotherapeutic drugs.[5]
CerS4 may also be involved in the control of body weight and food intake. Upon administration of leptin, a decrease in ceramide levels was observed in rat white adipose tissue, as were expression levels of a number of genes in the sphingolipid metabolic pathway, including CerS2 and CerS4.[6]
CerS4 expression was also found to be elevated in the brain of an Alzheimer's disease mouse model.[7]