Background:
Sphingomyelin synthase that primarily contributes to sphingomyelin synthesis and homeostasis at the plasma membrane. Catalyzes the reversible transfer of phosphocholine moiety in sphingomyelin biosynthesis: in the forward reaction transfers phosphocholine head group of phosphatidylcholine (PC) on to ceramide (CER) to form ceramide phosphocholine (sphingomyelin, SM) and diacylglycerol (DAG) as by-product, and in the reverse reaction transfers phosphocholine from SM to DAG to form PC and CER. The direction of the reaction appears to depend on the levels of CER and DAG in the plasma membrane (PubMed:14685263, PubMed:17449912, PubMed:17982138, PubMed:18370930).