Introduction of a polar functional group to the lipid tail of 4-epi-jaspine B affects sphingosine kinase isoform selectivity

Abstract

Sphingosine kinases (SphKs) are key enzymes that regulate sphingosine 1-phosphate production levels, and are involved in a range of cellular processes. Focusing on a hydrophilic residue in the hydrophobic binding pocket of SphKs, we designed and synthesized 4-epi-jaspine B derivatives containing a polar functional group in the lipid tail. A biological evaluation revealed that the introduction of ether groups to the lipid tail of 4-epi-jaspine B modulated its isoform selectivity toward SphKs.