Sphingosine Kinase 1/SPHK1: Proteins and Enzymes

Sphingosine kinases are cytosolic or membrane-associated enzymes that catalyze the phosphorylation of sphingosine to sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). Two types of sphingosine kinases, SPHK1 and SPHK2, are known to be expressed in human cells. The two enzymes share considerable amino acid sequence similarity, but differ in their N-terminal and central regions. The two proteins also differ in tissue distribution and some kinetic properties. S1P is a lipid messenger that regulates diverse ...