| Modification Notes |
Neutral ceramidase, also known as ASAH2 (N-acylsphingosine amidohydrolase (non-lysosomal ceramidase) 2), HNAC1, BCDase or NCDase, is a 780 amino acid single-pass type II membrane protein that exists as a precursor which is proteolytically cleaved to produce a soluble active peptide. Expressed ubiquitously with highest levels present in heart, intestine, kidney and skeletal muscle, neutral ceramidase functions to catalyze the hydrolysis of sphingolipid ceramide into sphingosine and free fatty acid, a reaction that occurs at an optimal pH of 6.5-8.5 and is essential for the regulation of sphingolipid signaling metabolites. Additionally, neutral ceramidase plays a role in apoptotic suppression, as well as in the digestion of dietary sphingolipids within intestinal tissue. Multiple isoforms of neutral ceramidase exist due to alternative splicing events. |