Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid involved in many signaling processes, is irreversibly degraded by the membrane-bound S1P lyase. (E)-2-Hexadecenal is a sphingolipid degradation product resulting from the action of S1P lyase. It can be further oxidized to (2E)-hexadecenoic acid by long-chain fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase prior to activation via coupling to coenzyme A. (E)-2-Hexadecenal has been shown to induce cytoskeletal reorganization that results in cell rounding, detachment, activation of downstream JNK targets, and eventual apoptosis in various cell types. It reacts readily with deoxyguanosine and DNA to form aldehyde-derived DNA adducts.