Ceramide-mediated transport of chloride and bicarbonate across phospholipid membranesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details, synthetic procedures, representative spectra and NMR binding data. CCDC 762206. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/c0cc00493f

The sphingolipid, ceramide 1 , facilitates transport of Cl − and HCO 3 − anions across lipid bilayers under conditions where large transmembrane pores are not formed. Ceramide's 1,3-diol unit is essential for both binding and transporting these anions. Amphiphilic ceramide 1 , with its 1,3-diol unit, can transport Cl − and HCO 3 − across phospholipid membranes via an anion-exchange mechanism.