Sphingomyelinase induces lipid microdomain formation in a fluid phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin membrane

The physicochemical properties of sphingolipids in a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) matrix were investigated. To this end, the behaviors of two chemically well-defined sphingolipids, N-palmitoyl-sphingomyelin and the corresponding ceramide, were compared. Experimental results showed that the enzymatic generation of ceramide from sphingomyelin stimulates microdomain formation in LUVs, although the reorganization of ceramide into microdomains within the bilayer took a significantly longer time.