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Estimation of free myo-inositol in milks of various species and its source in milk of rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Free myo-inositol content of milk of rats and other rodents fed standard laboratory chow is 80 mg/100 g as compared to about 4 mg/100 g for cow milk. Feeding experiments with graded amounts of myo-inositol demonstrated that the myo-inositol content of milk is strongly influenced by dietary intake. Radioactivity from either [carbon-14] glucose or [hydrogen-3] myo-inositol injected intraperitoneally was incorporated rapidly into milk myo-inositol. Thus, both mammary biosynthesis and active transport contribute to the high myo-inositol in rat milk, but the latter is quantitatively the more important.

Animals↗

Effects of d-chiro-inositol in lean women with the polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the administration of D-chiro-inositol, a putative insulin-sensitizing drug, would affect the concentration of circulating insulin, the levels of serum androgens, and the frequency of ovulation in lean women with the polycystic ovary syndrome. METHODS: In 20 lean women (body mass index, 20.0 to 24.4 kg/m 2) who had the polycystic ovary syndrome, treatment was initiated with either 600 mg of D-chiro-inositol or placebo orally once daily for 6 to 8 weeks. We performed oral glucose tolerance tests and measured serum sex steroids before and after therapy. To monitor for ovulation, we determined serum progesterone concentrations weekly. RESULTS: In the 10 women given D-chiro-inositol, the mean (+/- standard error) area under the plasma insulin curve after oral administration of glucose decreased significantly from 8,343 +/- 1,149 mU/mL per min to 5,335 +/- 1,792 mU/mL per min in comparison with no significant change in the placebo group (P = 0.03 for difference between groups). Concomitantly, the serum free testosterone concentration decreased by 73% from 0.83 +/- 0.11 ng/dL to 0.22 +/- 0.03 ng/dL, a significant change in comparison with essentially no change in the placebo group (P = 0.01). Six of the 10 women (60%) in the D-chiro-inositol group ovulated in comparison with 2 of the 10 women (20%) in the placebo group (P = 0.17). Systolic (P = 0.002) and diastolic (P = 0.001) blood pressures, as well as plasma triglyceride concentrations (P = 0.001), decreased significantly in the D-chiro-inositol group in comparison with the placebo group, in which these variables either increased (blood pressure) or decreased minimally (triglycerides). CONCLUSION: We conclude that, in lean women with the polycystic ovary syndrome, D-chiro-inositol reduces circulating insulin, decreases serum androgens, and ameliorates some of the metabolic abnormalities (increased blood pressure and hypertriglyceridemia) of syndrome X.

Adolescent↗

[Effects of repeated nicotine uptake on brain inositol levels].

In the acute experiments, 30 minutes after nicotine was intraperitoneally injected at the doses of 0.5, 1.0, 1.0, 2.0, 2.0 mg/kg with 5 min interval, the inositol levels were increased in rats cerebral cortex and hippocampus rather than striatum. While the inositol level was decreased in rat cerebral cortex 30 minutes after lithium chloride was given at the dose of 10 mmol/kg. In the chronic experiments, after nicotine at the doses of 2.0-5.0 mg/kg was subcutaneouly injected twice a day for 14 days the inositol level was increased in rat cerebral cortex. In other experiments, nicotine was orally given at the dosese of 2.69, 6.26, 11.53 mg/kg.d for 64 days, the inositol level of rat cerebral cortex was also increased. These indicated that the effects of nicotine on inositol level of rat brain are different from those of lithium chloride, the inositol level of rat cerebral cortex can be increased by repeated administration of nicotine.

Animals↗

Aldose reductase and myo-inositol in endothelial cell dysfunction caused by elevated glucose.

A possible relationship between aldose reductase activity and myo-inositol levels and endothelium-dependent relaxations was examined in isolated rabbit aorta incubated with elevated concentrations of glucose (44 mM) for 6 hr to mimic hyperglycemic conditions. Rings of aorta incubated in elevated glucose and contracted submaximally by phenylephrine showed significantly decreased endothelium-dependent relaxations induced by acetylcholine compared with aorta incubated in control (5.5 or 11 mM) glucose. Acetylcholine-induced relaxations of aorta incubated in hyperosmotic mannitol (44 mM) were not different from those incubated in control glucose. Treatment with two structurally unrelated aldose reductase inhibitors, sorbinil or zopolrestat, or supplementation with myo-inositol, prevented the abnormal acetylcholine relaxations of aortic rings caused by elevated glucose. No effects of sorbinil, zopolrestat or myo-inositol were observed on the response to acetylcholine of aorta incubated in control glucose. Neither sorbinil nor myo-inositol affected the increase in release of vasoconstrictor prostanoids caused by elevated glucose. These findings suggest that sorbitol accumulation and myo-inositol depletion contribute to the abnormal endothelial cell function caused by exposure to elevated glucose. The increased release of vasoactive prostanoids is either independent of, or possibly contributes to, the abnormal aldose reductase activity and/or myo-inositol depletion in intact blood vessels exposed to elevated concentrations of glucose.

Acetylcholine↗

Noncompetitive inhibition of inositol monophosphatase by K-76 monocarboxylic acid.

K-76COONa, a fungal product that was previously isolated for its inhibition of complement activation, was found to inhibit myo-inositol monophosphatase activity. K-76COONa was slightly more potent than lithium, with a Ki of approximately 0.5 mM. Kinetic analyses with D-myo-inositol 1-phosphate as the substrate showed that myo-inositol monophosphatase inhibition by K-76COONa was noncompetitive relative to substrate but competitive with activation by magnesium. Higher concentrations of K-76COONa were necessary to inhibit myo-[3H]inositol 1,4-bisphosphate hydrolysis by inositol 1,4-bisphosphate/inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate 1-phosphatase (IC50 = approximately 7.5 mM). K-76COONa may be useful for further investigation of the mechanism of myo-inositol monophosphatase and for determination of whether inhibition of this enzyme plays a role in the therapeutic effectiveness of lithium in treatment of affective disorders.

Animals↗

Regulation of MAL1+ gene expression encoding maltase in Schizosaccharomyces pombe by added inositol.

In this study, the effects of inositol addition on maltase activity and expression of MAL1+ gene encoding maltase in Schizosaccharomyces pombe were investigated. The maximum specific maltase activity was observed, when the concentration of inositol reached 6.0 microg/ml in the synthetic medium containing 2.0% glucose. At 1.0 microg/ml inositol concentration, the maltase activity continuously decreased, as initial glucose concentration was higher than 0.1%. mRNA encoding maltase and phosphatidylinositol (PI) content were higher in the cells grown in the synthetic medium with 6.0 microg/ml of inositol and 2.0% glucose than those with 1.0 microg/ml of inositol. These results demonstrated that higher inositol concentration in the synthetic medium could derepress MAL1+ gene expression in S. pombe and PI might be involved in derepression of MAL1+ gene expression in S. pombe probably by PI-type signalling pathway.

Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal↗

Role of inositol (1,4,5)trisphosphate in epidermal growth factor-induced Ca2+ signaling in A431 cells.

The effects of epidermal growth factor on Ca2+ signaling in A431 cells were investigated. Epidermal growth factor induced a transient Ca2+ signal in the absence of external Ca2+ and a sustained response in the presence of extracellular Ca2+, indicating an ability to mobilize intracellular Ca2+ as well as the ability to increase Ca2+ entry from the extracellular space. The Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin also activated Ca2+ entry, and neither epidermal growth factor nor the guanine nucleotide-dependent protein-linked receptor agonist bradykinin activated additional Ca2+ entry over that due to thapsigargin. In nominally Ca(2+)-free medium, the addition of bradykinin to A431 cells rapidly but transiently increased inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and, in parallel fashion, transiently increased cytosolic Ca2+. Unexpectedly, under these experimental conditions, epidermal growth factor elicited a small but significant Ca2+ signal after the addition of bradykinin. Experiments were designed to determine whether the Ca2+ response to epidermal growth factor after bradykinin results from mobilization of Ca2+ by an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-independent mechanism. Epidermal growth factor stimulated additional inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate formation in bradykinin-treated cells. Furthermore, the Ca2+ signals elicited by both bradykinin and epidermal growth factor were blocked in cells microinjected with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor antagonist heparin, whereas the intracellular Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin still mobilized Ca2+. Finally, histamine, a less efficacious guanine nucleotide-dependent protein-linked receptor agonist, as well as photolyzed, microinjected, caged inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, also mobilized Ca2+ after bradykinin. The results of this study show (i) that epidermal growth factor activates intracellular Ca2+ release as well as Ca2+ entry, the latter most likely resulting from an indirect effect due to the depletion of intracellular Ca2+ pools, (ii) that the actions of epidermal growth factor on Ca2+ homeostasis can be fully accounted for by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate formation, and (iii) that the ability of A431 cells to produce Ca2+ signals when epidermal growth factor is applied after bradykinin can be explained by the rapid and complete desensitization of the bradykinin stimulated phospholipase C activity.

Bradykinin↗

Stimulation of a dopamine D1 receptor enhances inositol phosphates formation in rat brain.

Accumulation of inositol phosphates was determined in rat brain slices prelabeled with 2-[3H]inositol and incubated with various drugs. In the striatum, micromolar concentrations of dopamine, apomorphine and SKF38393 induced significant accumulations of inositol phosphates in a dose-dependent manner, whereas quinpirole lacked effect. The EC50 values for the accumulation of inositol monophosphate induced by dopamine, apomorphine and SKF38393 were, respectively, 148, 159 and 129 microM. SKF 38393 effect was time-dependent on the accumulation of all three inositol phosphates, with peak effects occurring 64-128 min after drug addition. The action of the dopamine D1 receptor agonist, SKF38393, was blocked by SCH23390 (D1-selective antagonist), but not by sulpiride (D2-selective antagonist), atropine (muscarinic antagonist), prazosin (alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonist) or methiotepin and methysergide (serotonergic antagonists), indicating that the observed effects of dopaminergic agonists were selectively mediated through the D1 dopamine receptor. On examining the effect of SKF38393 in several brain regions, the highest dopaminergic stimulation of inositol phosphates formation was obtained in the amygdala, followed by the hippocampus and then the striatum and frontal cortex. The finding of an SKF38393-stimulated PI hydrolysis in amygdala, a brain region that is enriched in SCH23390 and SKF38393 binding sites but devoid of dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase, suggests that the D1 receptor that is linked to PI metabolism is independent of the D1 receptor which stimulates cyclic AMP formation.

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-ben↗

A sensitive method for the quantification of the mass of inositol phosphates using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A sensitive method to directly measure the mass of inositol phosphates from biologic samples is described. The procedure uses ammonium sulfate gradient elution anion exchange column chromatography to isolate inositol monophosphate, bisphosphate, trisphosphate, and tetrakisphosphate. The isolated fractions are dephosphorylated and subsequently desalted by a novel approach using solid barium hydroxide in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio to the amount of ammonium sulfate present in the dephosphorylated sample. The myo-inositol derived from each inositol phosphate species was quantified by stable isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the hexakis(trimethylsilyl) derivative using hexadeutero-myo-inositol as the internal standard. The applicability and sensitivity of this method are illustrated by measuring the mass of individual inositol phosphates in isolated adult canine cardiac myocytes.

Animals↗

Pharmacological evidence for distinct muscarinic receptor subtypes coupled to the inhibition of adenylate cyclase and to the increased generation of inositol phosphates in the guinea pig myometrium.

In the guinea pig myometrium, muscarinic receptor activation leads to contraction and elicits two biochemical responses viz. an increased formation of inositol phosphates (via a guanine nucleotide regulatory protein, distinct from the stimulatory and inhibitory G proteins of the adenylate cyclase system and a decreased synthesis of cyclic AMP involving inhibitory G protein activation. We now describe two major differences in the effects of muscarinic agonists. First, the greater potency of carbachol in inhibiting cyclic AMP formation (EC50 = 8 nM) than in stimulating the accumulation of inositol phosphates and tension (EC50 = 15 and 2 microM, respectively). Second, carbachol, oxotremorine and pilocarpine were equally effective in eliciting cyclic AMP inhibition but the order of potency for inositol phosphate formation was carbachol greater than oxotremorine and pilocarpine was without effect. The partial agonists, pilocarpine and oxotremorine, inhibited carbachol-mediated inositol phosphate formation. Pirenzepine, selective for muscarinic M1 receptor subtype, displayed a low affinity for antagonizing cyclic AMP inhibition, inositol phosphate generation and tension due to carbachol (Ki = 286, 92 and 110 nM, respectively). AF-DX116 (11-[( 2-[(diethylamino)methyl]-1- piperidinyl]acetyl)-5,11-dihydro-6H-pyrido[2,3-b][1,4]benzodiazepine- 6-one), selective for cardiac M2 receptors blocked cyclic AMP inhibition with high affinity (Ki = 1.14 nM) while it antagonized inositol phosphate formation with low affinity (Ki = 346 nM). Both high (Ki = 1 nM) and low (Ki = 100 nM) affinities were displayed by AF-DX116 in antagonizing contractions due to carbachol (24 and 76% inhibition, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors↗

G-proteins and the inositol cycle in Dictyostelium discoideum.

The inositol cycle in Dictyostelium discoideum was studied both in vitro and in vivo. The results are compared to the inositol cycle as it is known from higher eukaryotes. Although there is a strong resemblance the cycles are different at some essential points. In comparison to higher eukaryotes, in the cycle in D. discoideum the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] kinase appears to be absent and there are additional phosphatases which hydrolyse Ins(1,4,5)P3 via inositol 4,5-bisphosphate [Ins(4,5)P2] to inositol 4-phosphate (Ins4P). The function of the receptor-stimulated inositol cycle was elucidated using mutants from the fgd A complementation group, which are defective in the G-protein alpha-subunit, responsible for the activation of phosphoinositidase C. These mutants show defects in both chemotaxis and differentiation, suggesting that the stimulation of phosphoinositidase C is the major sensory transduction pathway in D. discoideum.

Cyclic AMP↗

Inositol phosphates in receptor-mediated cell signaling: metabolic origins and interrelationships.

We have investigated the metabolic interrelationships of the major inositol phosphates in vasopressin-stimulated WRK 1 mammary tumor cells which were labeled to equilibrium with [14C]inositol and briefly, just prior to stimulation, with [3H]inositol. A comparison of the 3H/14C ratios of these compounds with those of the cellular inositol lipids suggests that most of the known inositol mono-, bis-, tris-, and tetrakis-phosphates are derived from precursors with turnover rates similar to those of these lipids. However, Ins(3,4,5,6)P4 (which is the major inositol tetrakisphosphate to accumulate in stimulated WRK 1 cells), Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5, and InsP6 had 3H/14C ratios of 0 in this experiment, indicating that they must have a different metabolic origin.

Animals↗

Effect of inositol trisphosphate and calcium on oscillating elevations of intracellular calcium in Xenopus oocytes.

Stimulation of many nonexcitable cells by Ca2(+)-mobilizing receptor agonists causes oscillating elevations of the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ((Ca2+]i), rather than a continuous increase. It has been proposed that the frequency at which [Ca2+]i oscillates determines the biological response. Because the occurrence of [Ca2+] oscillations is observed together with endogenous inositol polyphosphate (InsPs) production or following InsPs application, we injected Xenopus laevis oocytes with InsPs and monitored Ca2(+)-activated Cl- currents as an assay of [Ca2+]i. Microinjection of the poorly metabolizable inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) derivatives inositol 2,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(2,4,5)P3) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphorothioate (Ins(1,4,5) P3S3) induced [Ca2+]i oscillations. The frequency at which [Ca2+]i oscillated increased with the injected dose, indicating that the frequency-generating mechanism lies distal to InsP3 production and that generation of oscillations does not require either oscillation of InsP3 levels or InsP3 metabolism. Injections of high doses of Ins(1,4,5)P3 or Ins(2,4,5)P3 inhibited ongoing oscillations, whereas Ca2+ injections decreased the amplitude of Ins(2,4,5)P3-induced oscillations without altering their frequency. Injections of the Ins(1,4,5)P3 metabolite inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate also caused oscillations whose frequency was related to the injected dose, although inositol tetrakisphosphate injection induced an increase in the cellular level of Ins(1,4,5)P3. The results suggest a multicomponent oscillatory system that includes the InsP3 target as well as a Ca2(+)-sensitive step that modulates amplitude.

Acetylcholine↗

Nuclear relaxation studies on human methemoglobin. Observation of cooperativity and alkaline Bohr effect with inositol hexaphosphate.

Ehanced spin-lattice relaxation (1/t1) of water protons induced by the heme iron of human aquomethemoglobin is exchanged-limited (koff = 1.4 times 10-4 per s at 30 degrees, H+ =7.5 Cal per mol) as indicated by the temperature and frequencey dependencies. A comparison of deuteron and proton relaxation rates revealed an order of magnitude primary isotope effect and a small inverse secondary isotope effect on the escape rate of protons from the heme iron into bulk water establishing the exchange of protons and not the exchange of the entire water molecule to be the chemical mechanism of the entire water molecule to be the chemical mechanism of the exchange process. With fluoromethemoglobin, the relaxation rate is in the fast exchange region. The results can be understood in terms of a water molecule interacting with the heme iron at an iron to proton distance less than 3.4 A in aquomethemoglobin and a single proton at a distance of 4.11 A assignable to the NH proton of the distal histidine imidazole group in fluoromethemoglobin. The relaxation rates are pH-dependent and normal titrations with Hill coefficients n = 1 are observed. The pKa is less than or equal to 6. 7 with aquomethemoglobin and 8.5 with fluoromethemoglobin at 30 degrees C. The binding of inositol hexaphosphate in stoichiometric amounts has no significant effect on the magnetic susceptibility of solutions of aquomethemoglobin and fluoromethemoglobin, but in the former case it increases koff to 3.8 times 10-4 per s by lowering the H+ barrier to 6.8 Cal per mol. In fluoromethemoglobin, inositol hexaphosphate decreases the iron to distal histidine NH distance by 0.17 A and the electron relaxation time taus by 10% as determined by the frequency dependence of 1/T1. In the aquomethemoglobin system, inositol hexaphosphate induces a Bohr effect, raising the pKa of the ionization responsible for the 1/T1 titration to 7.2, and induces cooperativity in the pH titration with a Hill coeffocoemt n = 2.8 plus or minus 0.1. With fluoromethemoglobin, the normal pH titration curve is unaffected by inositol hexaphosphate (n approximately equal to 1). Further, relaxivity titrations with varying amounts of azide and fluoride near neutral pH show normal behavior (n = 1) with and without inositol hexaphosphate. These results indicated that inositol hexaphosphate alters the quaternary structure of methemoglobin to the deoxy conformation without causing a change in the spin state of the heme iron...

Binding Sites↗

Signal transduction during human natural killer cell activation: inositol phosphate generation and regulation by cyclic AMP.

NK cells mediate both direct cytotoxicity against a variety of tumor cells and indirect (FcR-dependent) cytotoxicity against antibody-coated targets. When cloned human NK cells (CD16+/CD3-) were exposed to NK-sensitive targets for 30 min, the level of inositol phosphates rose two to five times above background. The rise in inositol phosphates induced by NK-sensitive targets was paralleled by an increase in intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). A panel of tumor cells that were resistant to NK cell lysis did not stimulate significant levels of inositol phosphate production and did not induce an elevation of intracellular free calcium. Ligation of the FcR (CD16) with the mAb 3G8 also triggered phosphoinositide turnover. Kinetic experiments demonstrated that stimulation by either susceptible target cells or by FcR ligation led to rapid (less than 1 min) generation of the Ca2+-mobilizing second messenger, inositol trisphosphate, with slower accumulation of inositol bisphosphate and inositol monophosphate. Previous studies have demonstrated that activation of the cAMP-dependent second messenger pathway strongly inhibits NK cell-mediated cytotoxic functions. Treatment of NK effector cells with forskolin to elevate intracellular cAMP levels resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of phosphoinositide hydrolysis induced by both NK-sensitive targets and 3G8-mediated FcR ligation. These results suggest that phosphoinositide turnover represents a critical early event in the human NK cell cytolytic process. Moreover, the potent inhibitory effect of cAMP on NK cell cytotoxicity may be explained by the uncoupling of NK receptors from phospholipase C-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis.

Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity↗

The formation of inositol 1,2-cyclic phosphate on agonist stimulation of phosphoinositide breakdown in mouse pancreatic minilobules. Evidence for direct phosphodiesteratic cleavage of phosphatidylinositol.

It is generally thought that formation of inositol 1,2-cyclic phosphate (IcP) on agonist-stimulated "breakdown" of endogenous phosphatidylinositol in intact cells would provide strong evidence for the direct phosphodiesteratic cleavage of phosphatidylinositol. We report here that on ionophoresis of extracts of pancreatic minilobules incubated with the cholecystokinin/pancreozymin congener, caerulein, the usual inositol phosphates, i.e. inositol 1-phosphate (IP), inositol 4,5-bisphosphate (IP2), and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) were seen. In addition, an [3H]inositol-labeled unknown was present with the correct electrophoretic mobility of IcP. There was only a trace of "IcP" in the unstimulated pancreatic minilobules. Several lines of evidence indicate that the unknown peak was IcP. 1) It ran on ionophoresis with standard [14C]IcP, and the ratio of 3H to 14C for each point on the peak was a constant within experimental error. 2) The putative IcP peak which had been eluted from the electropherogram also coincided with standard [14C]IcP on paper chromatography. 3) On mild acid hydrolysis in the presence of standard 14C-labeled IP, the putative [3H] IcP peak disappeared and appeared in the exact position of the standard [14C]IP peak, as to be predicted of IcP. The formation of IcP on agonist stimulation supports direct phosphodiesteratic cleavage of phosphatidylinositol on stimulation of phosphoinositide breakdown in pancreatic minilobules.

Animals↗

Effects of ethanol on stimulated inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in rat brain.

The effect of ethanol in vitro on inositol lipid metabolism in brain slices was investigated under nonstimulating and stimulating conditions. In cerebral cortical slices 100 microM norepinephrie (NE), 1 mM carbachol, 100 microM serotonin, 20 mM KCl, 1 mM glutamate and 30 microM A23187 stimulated inositide hydrolysis as measured by the release of [3H]inositol phosphates from [3H]myoinositol labeled slices. Ethanol (500 mM) inhibited nonstimulated inositide hydrolysis but had variable effects on stimulated inositide breakdown. NE-, KCl- and glutamate-stimulated [3H]inositol phosphate release was inhibited by 500 mM ethanol in the cortex. The inhibitory effect of ethanol on NE-stimulated inositide hydrolysis was concentration dependent and significant at concentrations as low as 100 mM. Inhibition by ethanol appeared to be noncompetitive. A similar pattern of inhibition by ethanol was observed when KCl was the stimulant. In hippocampal and hypothalamic slices, similar to cortical slices. NE- and KCl-stimulated inositide breakdown was significantly inhibited by ethanol. However, in brain stem slices, only KCl-stimulated [3H]inositol phosphate release was inhibited. Striatal slices stimulated by carbachol, NE and KCl were sensitive to the inhibitory effects of ethanol on inositol lipid breakdown. These results suggest that ethanol in vitro has specific effects on inositol lipid metabolism depending on the brain region studied and the type of stimulation. Moreover, the differential sensitivity to ethanol of stimulated inositide hydrolysis in the brain may contribute, at least in part, to some of the pharmacological effects of ethanol in vivo.

Animals↗

Metabolism and functions of inositol phosphates.

Activation of Ca2+-mobilizing receptors rapidly increases the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration both by releasing Ca2+ stored in endoplasmic reticulum and by stimulating Ca2+ entry into the cells. The mechanism by which Ca2+ release occurs has recently been elucidated. Receptor activation of phospholipase C results in the hydrolysis of the plasma membrane lipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), to yield two intracellular messengers, diacylglycerol (DAG) and (1,4,5)inositol trisphosphate [(1,4,5)IP3]. DAG remains in the plasma membrane where it stimulates protein phosphorylation via the phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C. (1,4,5)IP3 diffuses to and interacts with specific sites on the endoplasmic reticulum to release stored Ca2+. Receptor stimulation of phospholipase C appears to be mediated by one or more guanine nucleotide-dependent regulatory proteins by a mechanism analogous to hormonal activation of adenylyl cyclase. The actions of (1,4,5)IP3 on Ca2+ mobilization are terminated by two metabolic pathways, sequential dephosphorylation to inositol bisphosphate (IP2), inositol monophosphate (IP) and inositol or by phosphorylation to inositol tetrakisphosphate (IP4) and sequential dephosphorylation to different inositol phosphates. A sustained cellular response also requires Ca2+ entry into the cell from the extracellular space. The mechanism by which hormones increase Ca2+ entry is not known; a recent proposal involving movement of Ca2+ through the endoplasmic reticulum, possibly regulated by IP4, will be considered here.

Animals↗