cerebrosides
Cerebrosides are glycosphingolipids which are important components in animal muscle and nerve cell membranes.
Cerebrosides consist of a ceramide with a single sugar residue at the 1-hydroxyl moiety. The sugar residue can be either glucose or galactose; the two major types are therefore called glucocerebrosides and galactocerebrosides.
Sphingolipids
There are three main types of sphingolipids: ceramides, sphingomyelins, and glycosphingolipids, which differ in the substituents on their head group. Glycosphingolipids are ceramides with one or more sugar residues joined in a β-glycosidic linkage at the 1-hydroxyl position. Glycosphingolipids may be further subdivided into cerebrosides and gangliosides. Cerebrosides have a single glucose or galactose at the 1-hydroxy position, while gangliosides have at least three sugars, one of which must be sialic acid.
Types
glucocerebrosides
galactocerebrosides
Pathology
Gaucher disease is a defect in the degradation of glucocerebrosides.
Krabbe disease is a defect in the degradation of galactocerebrosides.
See also