The good side of ceramides

Cancer Tumor growth is enhanced by some members of the ceramide family of lipids and the enzymes that produce them. However, Gencer et al. found that C18-20 ceramides synthesized by the enzyme CerS4 acted as tumor suppressors. The ceramides prevented a transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β) receptor complex from activating the Shh pathway. CerS4 inhibited metastases from mammary tumors and the development of the hairloss disorder alopecia in mice. The TGF-β and Shh pathways are challenging to target pharmacologically; these findings suggest that some ceramides may have therapeutic potential against these pathways in various disorders. Sci. Signal. 10 , eaam7464 (2017).