Description
Hydrolyzes the sphingolipid ceramide into sphingosine and free fatty acid at an optimal pH of 6.5-8.5 (PubMed:10781606, PubMed:26190575). Acts as a key regulator of sphingolipid signaling metabolites by generating sphingosine at the cell surface. Acts as a repressor of apoptosis both by reducing C16-ceramide, thereby preventing ceramide-induced apoptosis, and generating sphingosine, a precursor of the antiapoptotic factor sphingosine 1-phosphate. Probably involved in the digestion of dietary sphingolipids in intestine by acting as a key enzyme for the catabolism of dietary sphingolipids and regulating the levels of bioactive sphingolipid metabolites in the intestinal tract