SPHK1 and cancer: Interestingly, and contrary to the dogma that, differently from Sphka1, SphK2 is a pro-death factor, recent experimental evidence now supports a key role for this kinase in promoting cell survival and proliferation, much like SphK1 does in cancer cells, or even in cardiomyocytes (Weigert et al., 2009; Gomez et al., 2011; Vessey et al., 2011).