Sphingosine kinase

Sphingolipid metabolites, such as ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate, are lipid second messengers involved in diverse cellular processes.

On the other hand, it appears to act as an intracellular second messenger,[1] although the relevant molecular target(s) to which it binds within cells remains to be discovered.

In general, the term sphingolipid (SL) refers to any of a number of lipids consisting of a head group attached to the 1-OH of ceramide (Cer).

[3] During "100,000 Airplanes", a third season episode of The West Wing, sphingosine kinase is fictitiously described as "the enzyme believed to control all signal pathways to cancer growth."

Learning of it inspires the protagonist of the series, President Josiah Bartlet, to consider launching an Apollo program to cure cancer.