ArticleNature communications2019
Ceramides bind VDAC2 to trigger mitochondrial apoptosis.
Article in Nature communications, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 139 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
139 citing papers in PubMed, 229 citations in OpenAlex.
- A membrane-disruptive action of VBIT-4 challenges its role as a widely used VDAC1 oligomerization inhibitor.eLife · 2026Article
- Ceramides: A Biologically Attractive Lipid and Advances in Acquisition Strategies.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Rewiring of the Apoptotic Rheostat in HTLV-1 Infection and Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma.Cancers · 2026Review
- Identifying lipid-protein interactomes with functional lipid probes.Nature protocols · 2026Review
- Survivin Associates with VDAC2 and Bcl2-Family Proteins at the Mitochondrial Outer Membrane.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Statins in Membrane Lipid Therapy: Mechanistic Promise Versus Clinical Reality.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Cardiac Lipid Metabolism: Cells, Metabolites, and Rhythms.Circulation research · 2026Review
- Curcumin as a ceramide metabolism-targeting agent: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic implications in cancer.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Altered Sphingolipid Metabolism is Associated with Osimertinib Resistance in Nonsmall-Cell Lung Cancer.Journal of proteome research · 2026Article
- Bifunctional Lipid-Protein Cross-linking Efficiency and Reaction Products.Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2026Article
- Lipidomic Analysis of Human Plasma and Hippocampus Across Alzheimer's Progression and Preclinical 5xFAD Mouse Model.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Article
- Ceramide-rich extracellular vesicles as pathogenic biomarkers in traumatic brain injury.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Lipotoxicity in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: Molecular Basis and Emerging Therapeutic Targets.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The Acid sphingomyelinase/ceramide System in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: a Potential Treatment Target.Inflammation · 2026Review
- An Integrated Method for Profiling Lipid-Protein Interactions Using Multifunctional Lipid Probes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Therapeutic remodeling of the ceramide backbone prevents kidney injury.Cell metabolism · 2026Article
- New Insights into the Role of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Diabetic Kidney Disease in the Omics Era.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2026Review
- Sphingolipid Metabolism: A Pathological Hub Linking Lipid Dysregulation and Chronic Inflammation in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Review
- Central Roles of Glucosylceramide in Driving Cancer Pathogenesis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Impact of Nutrition on Sphingolipid-Regulated Physiology: A Review.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2025Review
79 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 5 institutions in 7 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Ceramides draw wide attention as tumor suppressor lipids that act directly on mitochondria to trigger apoptotic cell death. However, molecular details of the underlying mechanism are largely unknown. Using a photoactivatable ceramide probe, we here identify the voltage-dependent anion channels VDAC1 and VDAC2 as mitochondrial ceramide binding proteins. Coarse-grain molecular dynamics simulations reveal that both channels harbor a ceramide binding site on one side of the barrel wall. This site includes a membrane-buried glutamate that mediates direct contact with the ceramide head group. Substitution or chemical modification of this residue abolishes photolabeling of both channels with the ceramide probe. Unlike VDAC1 removal, loss of VDAC2 or replacing its membrane-facing glutamate with glutamine renders human colon cancer cells largely resistant to ceramide-induced apoptosis. Collectively, our data support a role of VDAC2 as direct effector of ceramide-mediated cell death, providing a molecular framework for how ceramides exert their anti-neoplastic activity.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.