Neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2), a key enzyme in ceramide biosynthesis, is a new therapeutic target for the treatment of neurological disorders and cancer.
Neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2) produces the bioactive lipid ceramide and has important roles in neurodegeneration, cancer, and exosome formation.
We demonstrate a requirement for nSMase2-mediated cancer cell exosomal miRNAs in the regulation of metastasis through the induction of angiogenesis in inoculated tumors.
Defects in the neutral SMase (nSMase) gene Smpd3, the primary regulator of ceramide biosynthesis, are responsible for developmental defects of bone; regulation of ceramide levels have been implicated in macrophage differentiation, but this pathway has not been directly implicated in human cancer.