Abstract
Sphingomyelin was isolated from cysts of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana using QAE-Sephadex A25, Florisil and Iatrobeads column chromatographies. The chemical structure was identified using thin-layer chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography, infrared spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The ceramide moiety of sphingomyelin consisted of stearic, arachidic, and behenic acids as fatty acids, and hexadeca-4- and heptadeca-4-sphingenines as sphingoids. By comparative analysis, the ceramide component of Artemia sphingomyelin appears unique in invertebrates and vertebrates. Biological functions of sphingomyelin have largely been investigated using mammalian-derived sphingomyelin. In mammals, a wide variety of molecular species of sphingomyelins have been reported, especially derived from nerve tissue, while the lower animal Artemia contains this unusual sphingomyelin perhaps because of having a much simpler nervous system. The purified unusual sphingomyelin derived from Artemia franciscana might be a very useful tool in elucidating the functions and mechanisms of action of this mediator.
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