Inositol is a naturally occurring 6-carbon sugar alcohol found in mammalian tissues. It is formed through the reduction of glucose through the polyol pathway. Myo-inositol is the most predominant stereoisomer found in biological tissues and is an essential nutrient for the growth and survival of all cells. Inositol is found in breast milk in relatively high concentrations (1200 μmol/L), and has...

Diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate (PP-IP5) and bis(diphospho)inositol tetrakisphosphate (bis-PP-IP4) are recently identified inositol phosphates that possess pyrophosphate bonds. We have purified an inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) kinase from rat brain supernatants. The pure protein, a monomer of 54 kDa, displays high affinity (Km = 0.7 microM) and selectivity for inositol hexakisphosphate as...

The effect of bradykinin on changes in the chemical levels of myo-inositol polyphosphates in renal papillary collecting tubules was investigated. Myo-inositol phosphate mass was determined by means of an enzymatic, fluorometric assay. Bradykinin induced increases in myo-inositol mono-, bis-, and trisphosphate which were both time and concentration dependent. Furthermore, the magnitude of the ch...

Fungi in the genus Pneumocystis live in the lungs of mammals, where they can cause a fatal pneumonia (PCP [Pneumocystis pneumonia]) in hosts with compromised immune systems. The absence of a continuous in vitro culture system for any species of Pneumocystis has led to limited understanding of these fungi, especially for the discovery of new therapies. We recently reported that Pneumocystis cari...

CDP-diglyceride is converted to phosphatidyl inositol by several particulate subcellular fractions of guinea pig brain, with highest specific activity in the microsornal fraction. Optimal conditions with respect to pH, metal ion concentration, and substrate concentrations have been determined. The reaction was stimulated by the addition of bovine serum albumin and by Tween 80. Of several DL-CDP...

Inositol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.18) from Bacillus subtilis is shown to have a nonpolar cavity adjacent to the active site, allowing racemic protected inositol derivatives such as 4-O-benzyl-myo-inositol to be recognized with very high apparent stereoselectivity.

The myo-inositol transport system in confluent fetal-bovine aortic endothelial cells was characterized after 7-10 days in subculture, at which time the myo-inositol levels and rates of myo-[2-3H]-inositol uptake and incorporation into phospholipid had reached steady state. Kinetic analysis indicated that the uptake occurred by both a high-affinity transport system with an apparent Kt of 31 micr...

The cyclic polyol myo-inositol is a key molecule in many different metabolic pathways among all organisms; in addition, it is fundamental for osmotic balance in the mammalian brain. This review sums up inositol transporters from eukaryotic organisms, elucidating their vital role in regulating the intracellular distribution and uptake of inositol. They can be divided into two groups according to...

Synthesis of myo-inositol is crucial in multicellular eukaryotes for production of phosphatidylinositol and inositol phosphate signaling molecules. The myo-inositol monophosphatase (IMP) enzyme is required for the synthesis of myo-inositol, breakdown of inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate, a second messenger involved in Ca(2+) signaling, and synthesis of L-galactose, a precursor of ascorbic acid. Tw...

Previous studies of Europe-Finner & Newell indicated that in amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum, signal transduction used for chemotaxis to cyclic AMP involved transient formation of inositol tris- and polyphosphates. Evidence was also presented for the involvement of a GTP-binding G-protein. Here we report evidence for the involvement of a ras gene product in the D. discoideum inositol phosph...