Abstract
Sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase (SPL) is an intracellular enzyme that controls the final step in the sphingolipid degradative pathway, the only biochemical pathway for removal of sphingolipids. Specifically, SPL catalyzes the cleavage of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) at the C2-3 carbon bond, resulting in its irreversible degradation to phosphoethanolamine (PE) and hexadecenal. The substrate of the reaction, S1P, is a bioactive sphingolipid metabolite that signals through a family of five G protein-coupled S1P receptors (S1PRs) to mediate biological activities including cell migration, cell survival/death/proliferation and cell extrusion, thereby contributing to development, physiological functions and - when improperly regulated - the pathophysiology of disease. In 2017, several groups including ours reported a novel childhood syndrome that featured a wide range of presentations including fetal hydrops, steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS), primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI), rapid or insidious neurological deterioration, immunodeficiency, acanthosis and endocrine abnormalities. In all cases, the disease was attributed to recessive mutations in the human SPL gene, SGPL1. We now refer to this condition as SPL Insufficiency Syndrome, or SPLIS. Some features of this new sphingolipidosis were predicted by the reported phenotypes of Sgpl1 homozygous null mice that serve as vertebrate SPLIS disease models. However, other SPLIS features reveal previously unrecognized roles for SPL in human physiology. In this review, we briefly summarize the biochemistry, functions and regulation of SPL, the main clinical and biochemical features of SPLIS and what is known about the pathophysiology of this condition from murine and cell models. Lastly, we consider potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of SPLIS patients.