SPTLC3 and ovarian cancer: The mRNAs for two additional genes are elevated in the ovarian cancer cells, SPT3 (serine palmitoyltransferase 3), which has been suggested to make shorter sphingoid base chains [17] and DES2, a dihydroceramide desaturase that is bifunctional as a desaturase to produce Cer and as a 4-hydroxylase to produce phytoceramides [18].