ASAH1 and infection: Given that both spl-2 and asah-2 are transcriptionally suppressed by NHR-66, we hypothesized that regulation of sphingolipid breakdown by NHR-66 is required for pathogen resistance in C. elegans and that hyperactivation of these enzymes accounts for the hypersusceptibility of nhr-66(ok940) mutants to pathogen infection.