An Overview of Sphingolipid Metabolism: From Synthesis to Breakdown -- Sphingolipid Transport -- Sphingolipid Analysis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) -- Ceramide Synthases: Roles in Cell Physiology and Signaling -- Tales and Mysteries of the Enigmatic Sphingomyelin Synthase Family -- Ceramide in Stress Response -- Animal Models for Studying the Pathophysiology of Ceramide -- Ceramide-1-Phosphate in Cell Survival and Inflammatory Signaling -- Ceramide-1-Phosphate in Phagocytosis and Calcium Homeostasis -- Extracellular and Intracellular Actions of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate -- Glucosylceramide in Humans -- Gangliosides as Regulators of Cell Membrane Organization and Functions -- Cancer Treatment Strategies Targeting Sphingolipid Metabolism -- Therapeutic Strategies for Diabetes and Complications: A Role for Sphingolipids? -- Roles for Sphingolipids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae -- Sphingolipid Signaling in Fungal Pathogens -- Sphingolipids in Parasitic Protozoa -- Biosynthesis of Sphingolipids in Plants (and Some of Their Functions) -- Computational Analysis of Sphingolipid Pathway Systems.

This book attempts to analyze the latest discoveries in sphingolipid biology and how the alteration of their metabolism leads to altered signaling events and to the development of pathobiological disorders, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, diabetes, inflammation and infectious diseases.