Acid Sphingomyelinase (ASM)

Sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase or simply Sphingomyelinase (SMase) is a hydrolase enzyme that is involved in sphingolipid metabolism reactions.

SMase is a member of the DNase I superfamily of enzymes and is responsible for breaking sphingomyelin (SM) down into phosphocholine and ceramide. The activation of SMase has been suggested as a major route for the production of ceramide in response to cellular stresses.

Sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1, acid lysosomal (acid sphingomyelinase), also known as SMPD1, is a human sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase. Defects in SMPD1 gene cause Niemann-Pick disease, SMPD1-associated.