3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide, also called as sulfatide, is a sulfoglycolipid produced by ceramide galactosyltransferase and cerebroside sulfotransferase. It was first extracted from the human brain. Sulfatide is found majorly in the cellular membrane, Golgi apparatus and lysosomes.
Sulfatide regulates the biological functions of microbial infection, hemostasis, nervous system and immune system. Accumulation of lysosomal sulfatide leads to metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). Sulfatide modulates protein trafficking, signal transduction and neuronal cell differentiation.
