Glucocerebroside (also called glucosylceramide) is any of the

cerebroside Cerebrosides (monoglycosylceramides) are a group of glycosphingolipids which are important components of animal muscle and nerve cell membranes. They consist of a ceramide with a single sugar residue at the 1-hydroxyl moiety. The sugar residue ...

s in which the

monosaccharide Monosaccharides (from Greek '' monos'': single, '' sacchar'': sugar), also called simple sugars, are the simplest forms of sugar and the most basic units (monomers) from which all carbohydrates are built. Chemically, monosaccharides are polyhy ...

head group is

glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...

. Research conducted on glucocerebrosides has shown that glucocerebrosides help support cellular functions in humans, such as signaling pathways as well as being possibly linked to diseases. Certain symptoms of diseases such as Gaucher's and Parkinson's disease have been linked to abnormal changes in glucocerebroside metabolism, such as changes in glucocerebroside levels and regulation. Researchers have also started to study the role of glucocerebrosides in cancer. In

Gaucher's disease Gaucher's disease or Gaucher disease () (GD) is a genetic disorder in which glucocerebroside (a sphingolipid, also known as glucosylceramide) accumulates in cells and certain organs. The disorder is characterized by bruising, fatigue, anemia, low ...

, the enzyme

glucocerebrosidase β-Glucocerebrosidase (also called acid β-glucosidase, D-glucosyl-N-acylsphingosine glucohydrolase, or GCase) is an enzyme with glucosylceramidase activity () that cleaves by hydrolysis the β-glycosidic linkage of the chemical glucocerebrosi ...

is nonfunctional and cannot break down glucocerebroside into

and

ceramide Ceramides are a family of waxy lipid molecules. A ceramide is composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid joined by an amide bond. Ceramides are found in high concentrations within the cell membrane of Eukaryote, eukaryotic cells, since they are co ...

in the lysosome. Affected

macrophages Macrophages (; abbreviated MPhi, φ, MΦ or MP) are a type of white blood cell of the innate immune system that engulf and digest pathogens, such as cancer cells, microbes, cellular debris and foreign substances, which do not have proteins that ...

, called Gaucher cells, have a distinct appearance similar to "wrinkled tissue paper" under

light microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view subjects too small to be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of microscopy: optical, el ...

, because the substrates build-up within the lysosome. In 2019, research conducted by Lee et al., shows that glucocerebrosides impaired the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) by decreasing the activity of Runx2 transcription factor, which leads to less vascular endothelial growth factor to be made. In 2023, research conducted by Russo et al., shows that increased levels of glucocerebroside can cause inflammation in dopamine-producing cells of the brain, which is usually seen in age-related diseases. The increased glucocerebroside levels is caused by a change in the SATB1-MIR22-GBA pathway, which leads to damage itolysosome and mitochondria lfunction. This damage is seen as a possible link to brain inflammation associated with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

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* * Glycolipids Carbohydrates {{biochem-stub

See also

References

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