Introduction to tools and techniques for ceramide-centered research.

Sphingolipids are important components of eukaryotic cells, many of which function as bioactive signaling molecules. As thoroughly discussed elsewhere in this volume, ceramide, central metabolite of the sphingolipid pathway, plays key roles in a variety of cellular responses. Since the discovery of the bioactive function of ceramide, a growing number of tools and techniques have been and still are being developed in order to better decipher the complexity and implications of ceramide-mediated signaling. With this chapter it is our intention to provide new comers to the sphingolipid arena with a short overview of tools and techniques currently available for the study ofsphingolipid metabolism, with the focus on ceramide.