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25 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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SPHK1
sphingosine kinase 1
Chromosome 17 · 17q25.1
NCBI Gene: 8877Ensembl: ENSG00000176170.15HGNC: HGNC:11240UniProt: Q53ZR5
324PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Kinase
RESEARCH IMPACT
Trending
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
positive regulation of smooth muscle contractionpositive regulation of fibroblast proliferationcellular response to vascular endothelial growth factor stimuluspositive regulation of angiogenesisneurodegenerative diseaseneoplasmbreast cancerhepatocellular carcinoma
✦AI Summary

SPHK1 (sphingosine kinase 1) is a key enzyme that phosphorylates sphingosine to generate sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a critical signaling lipid mediator. Beyond its canonical kinase function, SPHK1 possesses serine acetyltransferase activity on COX2/PTGS2, which promotes neuroinflammatory resolution through specialized pro-resolving mediator production 1. SPHK1 drives multiple pro-tumoral processes including cell proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion across various cancer types 1. In the tumor microenvironment, SPHK1 facilitates immune evasion by promoting PD-L1 expression via the MAPK1-MMP1 axis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma 2, and by activating NLRP3 inflammasome in tumor-associated macrophages, leading to CD8+ T cell exhaustion in colorectal cancer liver metastasis 3. SPHK1 promotes macrophage recruitment and M1/M2 polarization in liver fibrosis through C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 and the ASK1-JNK/p38 signaling pathway 4. In intracerebral hemorrhage, the Sphk1/S1P pathway promotes blood-brain barrier breakdown via NLRP3-mediated endothelial pyroptosis 5. SPHK1 elevation correlates with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition promotion 6. S1P signaling through S1PR1 also modulates T cell alloreactivity during transplantation 7. These findings identify SPHK1 and S1P as therapeutic targets for cancer immunotherapy, fibrosis, and neuroinflammatory diseases.

Sources cited
1
SPHK1 promotes immune evasion in HNSCC through MAPK1-MMP1-PD-L1 axis regulation
PMID: 39629135
2
SPHK1 in macrophages activates NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β production, driving CD8+ T cell exhaustion in colorectal cancer liver metastasis
PMID: 40665874
3
SPHK1/S1P promotes cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, mobility, invasion, and metastasis
PMID: 32275078
4
SPHK1 aggravates liver fibrosis by promoting macrophage recruitment and M1/M2 polarization via ASK1-JNK/p38 and KLF4 pathways
PMID: 39305988
5
Sphk1/S1P pathway promotes blood-brain barrier breakdown through NLRP3-mediated endothelial pyroptosis via ERK1/2 signaling
PMID: 39715736
6
SPHK1 elevation in colorectal cancer promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and poor prognosis
PMID: 40434736
7
SPHK1-derived S1P signaling through S1PR1 modulates donor T cell alloreactivity by promoting mitochondrial fission via AMPK/AKT/mTOR/Drp1 pathway
PMID: 36071219
8
SPHK1 suppresses osteoclast maturation by inhibiting RANKL-induced p38 activation in bone metastasis
PMID: 34815788
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.33Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
melanomaOpen Targets
0.10Weak
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.10Weak
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
head and neck squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
infectionOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
posterior cortical atrophyOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
prostate cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
SPTLC1Protein interaction100%BECN1Protein interaction100%MAPK3Protein interaction99%SGPL1Protein interaction99%PLPP2Protein interaction98%PLPP3Protein interaction98%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Lung
86%
Ovary
17%
Heart
14%
Liver
11%
Brain
7%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
SPHK1SPTLC1BECN1MAPK3SGPL1PLPP2PLPP3
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB4V24 · 1.80 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.54LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.94 [0.59–1.54]
RankingsWhere SPHK1 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #1,021of 20,598
    Most Researched324 · top 5%
  • #15,398of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.54
Genes detectedSPHK1
Sources retrieved25 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
25▼
1
SPHK1 promotes HNSCC immune evasion by regulating the MMP1-PD-L1 axis.
PMID: 39629135
Theranostics · 2024
1.00
2
Targeting SPHK1 in macrophages remodels the tumor microenvironment and enhances anti-PD-1 immunotherapy efficacy in colorectal cancer liver metastasis.
PMID: 40665874
Cancer Commun (Lond) · 2025
0.90
3
Relationship between Sphk1/S1P and microRNAs in human cancers.
PMID: 32275078
Biotechnol Appl Biochem · 2021
0.80
4
Sphingosine Kinase 1 Aggravates Liver Fibrosis by Mediating Macrophage Recruitment and Polarization.
PMID: 39305988
Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol · 2024
0.70
5
An inducible sphingosine kinase 1 in hepatic stellate cells potentiates liver fibrosis.
PMID: 39236934
Biochem Pharmacol · 2024
0.64