Abstract
The biological roles of cell surface glycosphingolipids are being determined due to improvements in the methods for their purification, structural and functional analyses. The hypothesis that this major family of cell surface complex carbohydrates participates in important cell recognition and cell regulation phenomena has now been repeatedly demonstrated. As specific glycosphingolipids are implicated in a greater variety of cell regulation events, there is a continuing need for studies to elucidate the mechanisms of their actions. These are likely to converge on two general schemes: Interactions of glycosphingolipids with complementary receptors on apposing membranes (trans recognition), and modulation of activities of proteins in the same membrane (cis regulation). A combination of these mechanisms may link glycosphingolipid recognition to transmembrane control of cell physiology.
